Dinner in Less than 30 Minutes

Bratswurth with grilled onions, baked potato, and salad

Brown the bratswurth, and then add a can of beer and cook until the beer is just about gone on med heat.  Scrub up a couple of potatoes, and pierce them, and throw them in the microwave. And cook according to your microwave settings. Cut up some lettuce and cucumbers and green bell peppers, or what ever you like, and toss them together. 

Crock Pot

All I can say right now is "Thank God" for my Crock pot.  The weather has turned really bad here, lots of snow and ice.  My commute is grueling, and long.  It has been taking me about an hour and 10 minutes to travel 32 miles.  This week I made chicken hindquarters in the crock pot, added 1 cup of orange juice and seasoned it with garlic and pepper.  I cooked some white rice and removed the chicken from the bones and threw it in the rice and just a little bit of the juice from the crock pot....  and this is what I have taken in my lunch the last 2 days.  Today before I left my house, I put a bean mixture together.  It is 16 bean variety of soup and I also had about 3/4 cup of split peas left over from the last time I made soup.  I mixed the split peas with the 16 bean variety and soaked them overnight.  When I got up I threw 2 ham hocks in the crock pot...  rinsed the bean mixture, added about 8 cups of water, chopped up 1/2 an onion and a 1/2 bag of baby carrots, seasoned with garlic and pepper...put the crock pot on low, and left for work.  I cannot wait to get home and have hot soup.  The temperature here is 19 degrees, and I just think there is nothing better than hot soup on a cold day.
Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!!

Fall Canned Food Sale

Sorry I have not posted for awhile, I have been working and had to go out of town for a few days.
Recently I shopped a local grocery store for the fall canned food sale. I spent 174.00 on canned food and here is a run down of what I ended up with.
1 case of canned evaporated milk (for my senior citizen kitty) and when I run out of regular milk for cooking (no sense running to the store)
1 case of Nalley Chili, my daughter and I love this. I made chili cheese omelettes the other night and they were delish.
1 case of Tuna fish~ I will never have to wonder what kind of sandwich to take to work. I also love tuna and saltine crackers, it is one of my favorite lunches.
1 case of applesauce. I use it for baking and I eat it right out of the can.
1 case of mandarin oranges....I could live off these.
1 case of green beans. I use these in soups and make with dinner.
1 case of corn. I also use these in soups and to make with dinner.
1 case of spaghetti sauce, my daughter mostly uses these, but when I make zuchinni parmesean I always use canned spaghetti sauce.
1 case of diced tomatoes. I use these in spaghetti, and soups.
1 case of tomato sauce. Use for cooking spaghetti, casseroles and soups.
It seems as if I am missing 2 cases of something....but cannot think of what it is.
I am very happy to have my pantry over flowing. The use by dates are in 3 to 4 years for most of it. I am just thankful because with my pantry so full, all I will have to buy at the store is essentials, like bread, milk, potatoes, yogurt, and whatever the loss leaders of the week happen to be. Everyday I feel like packing my lunch, is not such a chore.

Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!

Best Taco Soup

1 lb Burger (any burger) brown in skillet throw in soup pot and add the following
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 can of corn, juice and all
1 can rotel mild or med tomatoes & chiles, w juice or use canned diced tomatoes
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 pkg ranch dressing mix

enough water to cover ingredients. Heat until warm (or piping hot)

Serve: Grated cheese and crunched up tortilla chips on top.
Enjoy!!

Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!!

Apple Pie in the Crockpot

Wondering what to do with all of those Fabulous fall apples?
Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!!!

Crock Pot Apple Pie
Crock Pot Apple Pie ~ What could be better than making apple pie in your crock pot while you are at work?



8 tart apples, peeled and sliced

1-1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup biscuit baking mix

1 cup biscuit baking mix

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoons cold butter



Toss apples in a large bowl with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Place in lightly greased crockpot. Combine milk, softened butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and the 1/2 cup biscuit baking mix. Spoon over apples. Combine the 1 cup biscuit baking mix and brown sugar. Cut the cold butter into mixture until crumbly. Sprinkle this mixture over top of apple mixture.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.

ahhhh// Chicken Noodle

I am at the tale end of my week, and boy has it been a long one. I am completely ready for a weekend.
Today I made "Chicken Noodle"
I boiled the meat off of 3 1/2 hindquarters that were made on Tuesday
I seasoned the water w/ garlic salt, and pepper
I picked all the meat and skin off of the bones (nice treat for kitty, the skin and bones)
put all the "meat" back into my pot of seasoned water
added 4 stalks of celery/ chopped
added 5 carrots / chopped
cooked these until tender
added 1/2 bag of egg noodles~ cooked to package directions

This was super delish~ Once again my plan was to bring the left-overs to work.....and there was nothing left. I brought a sandwich to work.

Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!!

Paula Deen's Zucchini Bread

Here is the recipe that I have been using.... It is super delicious. I have had to add a little more water. And forget the nuts, they are too expensive and this bread taste great without them. Have a Fabulous & Frugal day!!!!

Ingredients
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
2 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

The Lost Art of Home Canning

I love to home can my own Jams and Jelly's, as well as Salsa. Occasionally I will make recipes in the pressure canner too. Canning is really not hard, it is a little time consuming, but the rewards are unbeatable. This info was taken off of the Ball Canning Website, I hope you find it useful. Oh and by the way.... I found an old Kerr Canning book (from 1947) just a small paper one at a yard sale last month for 25 cents. Have a Fabulous & Frugal day!!!

Why Should I Can?

Fresh Preserving provides a number of great benefits which are relevant to today’s lifestyles. While home canning has been around for generations, the reasons why people can today are different than the reasons why people canned products years ago.

Gardening and home canning can lower your grocery bill. Burpee Seed Company (www.burpee.com) estimates that for every $50 spent on seeds and fertilizer, a gardener can yield $1250 worth of produce. As it’s not feasible for a family to enjoy all of that fresh produce all at one time, home canning allows you to preserve that fresh, home grown flavor from your garden for use all year long, and saving on your grocery bill.

Home canning supports sustainable lifestyles. Canning locally-grown produce reduces the carbon footprint created by transporting vegetables around the world in off-seasons. A study by Carnegie Mellon found that 11% of the average American’s household food-related greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation of foods. You can reduce that by growing your own produce or purchasing it locally, and then fresh preserving the harvest and re-using Ball® Jars year after year.

Fresh preserving allows you to manage your family’s nutrition. Many canning enthusiasts enjoy the versatility and control they have with fresh preserving recipes. When you fresh preserve foods, you can avoid additives and preservatives found in many commercial products, and you may even opt to use organic ingredients.

According to research from The National Gardening Association, 48% of consumers’ garden to ensure their food is safe. Canning is a perfect way to manage the ingredients in your recipes to ensure that your family not only gets the garden fresh flavor of fresh produce, but that they also avoid any undesired ingredients.

Express yourself through unique and creative recipes. For generations canners have used fresh preserving to showcase their own unique style with creative canning recipes. Impress your friends and family by creating unique jams, jellies and other culinary creations.

For tutorials, videos and other information on how to can visit our Intro to Canning section here.

Search our database of fresh preserving recipes and start your culinary adventure now!

Roast in the Crockpot

Yesterday morning when I got home I threw 2 Angus beef roasts --(that I bought in the reduced meat bin at the store, if you don't use the meat from the reduced bins right away, then throw them in the freezer)-- into the crockpot, seasoned them well, and turned the crockpot on low, and then I went to bed. I slept for 6 hours, and when I got up my house smelled delicious. I sliced up the roasts in sandwich thin slices, then sliced up pickles, tomatoes and cheese. We had home made roast beef sandwiches for dinner tonight and boy were they delicious. It is so nice to cook in the crockpot during the summer, no sense in heating up your kitchen. It is also so nice to cook a gourmet meal while you are sleeping. I love summer!!!
Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!

Finding Frugal Info on the Web

Check out recession era cooking.... I have been having a blast with the old time recipes. I have come across frugal cooking tips and recipes, made with what you have on hand. Happy Cooking. Have a Fabulous & Frugal day!!!!

BBQ Elk Steak Sandwiches

When I got home from work this morning I cooked 3 packages of elk steak in the crockpot. I seasoned it with garlic and mustard powder... I cooked it all day on low in the crockpot (while I slept)(I am on the graveyard shift). This afternoon I drained the juice out of the crockpot and flaked up the elk steak with 2 forks ... think chipped beef. I added a bottle and 1/2 of BBQ sauce and let it sit on "warm" for an hour. I toasted some sesame hamburger buns and put the elk steak mixture in the middle. These BBQ sandwiches are absolutely awesome. Guess what I am taking in my lunch today?

Hamburger Soup

I cleaned out the fridge!!! I am using an onion, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots left over from my lunch this week to add to the soup~

2lb any burger hamburger, elk burger, turkey burger (doesn't matter) brown this in a stock pot with onion and your favorite seasonings
2 tsp garlic powder
4 broccoli florets -chopped
4 cauliflower florets - chopped
10 baby carrots- chopped
4 baby red potatoes -chopped
simmer these ingredients with the burger for a few minutes
empty these ingredients into the stock pot juice and all
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can green beans
1 can corn
1 can of peas

simmer on low for one hour~ enjoy
this is a great way to get your 5 servings of veggies
I freeze left-overs and take them to work
serve with toasted english muffins

Parmesan Halibut

Yummy Parmesan Halibut, this is a restaurant quality meal~ Have a Fabulous & Frugal day.

Parmesan Halibut

Servings: 4
Preparation Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: 15min.
2 tsp. virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/8 tsp. oregano, or 1 tsp. fresh,
chopped salt and pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. halibut steaks, about 1 inch thick
1 Tbs. parsley, chopped
Ingredients
Cooking Directions
Turn on broiler. Heat oil in a small heavy saucepan
over medium heat. Sauté garlic 3-4 minutes. Stir in
tomatoes, oregano and salt and pepper to taste.
Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in
Parmesan cheese. Arrange halibut steaks on a
lightly oiled broiler pan. Brush top of steaks with
tomato mixture. Place halibut about 4 inches from
heat source, and broil 5-6 minutes. Turn halibut,
brush again with tomato sauce, and broil another
4-5 minutes, or until sh is opaque throughout.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Per Serving: calories 173, fat 6.4g, calories

Banana Bread

Today I will be making banana bread for an upcoming event....it will last in the freezer for about 3 months however, when I make banana bread it never lasts around here.

Banana Bread with Pecan Crunch Topping

Makes two loaves.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter (room temperature)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
4 very ripe bananas, well mashed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cups milk (can use buttermilk)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups pecans, whole or chopped (optional)

Pecan Crunch Topping:
7 1/2 tablespoons butter
12 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup pecan pieces, chopped small (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pans.

Cream the butter and sugar together.

Beat eggs in a separate bowl, then add to sugar mixture. Add mashed bananas, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Mix well.

Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Fold in pecans if using. Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool an hour or two before adding topping.

To prepare topping, melt butter in saucepan. Add sugar and milk, stirring constantly. Cook until syrupy. Remove syrup from heat and add chopped pecans. Pour syrup over bread and place the pans under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes until very bubbly, being careful not to burn the topping. Let cool completely before slicing.

NOTE: Walnuts may be substituted for pecans.