Thursday, October 25, 2007

Baked Goods Exchange

Well, whoever decided to call it a baked GOODs exchange certainly hit it right on the nose. How can you not LOVE getting yummy cookies and new recipes in the mail? I won't share the recipe because I'm not sure if I'm supposed to or not ... but here's what it looked like when I opened the box:



They are Cornchip Cookies - there's oatmeal and coconut in there too. If I had more than two thumbs to wave in the air, they'd all be up. GREAT job, SB!!

Microwave Meatloaf


I love my job, but I like having the night off even more. So, when Rob decided he wanted meatloaf for dinner, I was all about that. This recipe is one my mom used to make all the time. In fact, I've never eaten an oven-baked meatloaf. Never. I liked it (although the flavor was off a little from mom's), but Rob LOVED it. Hope you like it, too ... enjoy!!


COST: $3.44
Ground Turkey: $2.19
Bread: $0.10
Eggs: $0.20
Onion: $0.10
Mustard/Ketchup: $0.10
Spices: $0.05
Creamed Corn: $0.55
Mashed Potatoes (from box): $0.25

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb ground meat (I used turkey)
4 slices bread, torn into small pieces
2 eggs
1 slice onion, diced
Mustard to taste
Ketchup to taste (at least 2x the amount of mustard)
Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Mix all ingredients by hand in bowl until moist, but firm. Place into glass loaf pan and cover with wax paper. Bake in microwave on medium-high for 16-17 minutes. Allow to rest 4 minutes prior to serving.

Princess for a Day

So, Sunday I had a bad day. No details necessary, just trust me on this one. Rob felt bad for me, so on Monday, he declared me "Princess for the Day". This meant that we'd do whatever I felt like doing. After work, he came by and picked me up, then took me to the grocery store to pick out some flowers - mums in a pot and some cut ones, also.

Here's a picture of the cut flowers with my kitchen (sort of) in the background. Please ignore the mess in the corner - we're collecting some stuff to send to Goodwill.



I mentioned that we bought the ingredients for a cheesecake, right? Well, apparently Rob is known around these parts for making a mean cheesecake. But he's never made one for me. This is obviously wrong. Here he is, righting that wrong:



While the cheesecake was cooking, we made our plans to go home for "Christ-Giving" to see our families. When it was done ....



We then went to CiCi's for pizza. Came home, sat outside on the porch in the GORGEOUS weather, sipping hot apple cider and just talking. Overall, the perfect day.

I am so happy to be married to Rob. I consider myself blessed in every way.

Friday, October 19, 2007

The Things I Love

Well, as you can see, I haven't been doing much cooking this week. Beyond the leftover chicken fajita meat, we've been eating a lot of sandwiches, etc. So, I thought I'd do an update on a couple of my favorite kitchen things.


Kapoosh Universal Cutlery Block



As you can see, this is possibly the most unique knife block I've ever seen - and possibly the most useful. When Rob and I got married, we had to combine two very random knife collections - mine, consisting of a number of Wusthof knives and some cheapo steak knives, and his, consisting of a whole set of cheapo knives, plus two VERY nice Santokus by Anolon. Altogether, we had about 15 knives that we didn't want to part with. Now, honestly, have you ever seen a normal-size knife block that would hold 15 knives? I didn't think so. But this block by Kapoosh - which has no slots at all, but rather nylon/plastic "rods" - will hold that, plus some. It is dishwasher safe, the knives won't dull from hitting the rods (like they would if you accidentally hit a wood block), and you can arrange them however works for you. If I were only allowed to choose one thing to receive for our wedding ... this would have been it. No kidding.


Pampered Chef Bamboo Spoon Set



Oh, wow. These spoons look so simple. And they are. But I love them. As you can see, they come three to a set - 2 round spoons (one with a long handle, one with a shorter handle) and one oval spoon. So far, I've never found a reason to like the oval one. But the ROUND ones??? Oh, I could write a sonnet. They're perfect for mixing or stirring anything in a round container - because of their shape, they fit right into the curve of the bowl. Because they're wood, they won't scratch a non-stick surface, and they go right into the dishwasher. I have 4 round spoons (having given the oval ones to my mother) and wouldn't trade them for anything!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

No More Tuna!!

So, I'm pleased to officially announce that we are out of tuna. I'm hoping we stay that way for at least a month. Our current food du-jour is Fajita Chicken. I'd share the recipe, but there really isn't one - dump a pre-marinated package of fajita chicken from HEB ($7.99 for 4 lbs) into the crock pot. Cook on low for at least 8 hours. Use in every meal until gone. On Sunday (when I made it), I served it with mashed potatoes and the gravy I made from the crock-pot juice.

Hopefully, this chicken will last us until Saturday, when we'll begin our new food of the week - RICE! Stay tuned for lots of recipes involving rice and its various combinations.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Keeping My Eyes on the Prize

I thought with all of this budgeting and saving and eating of tuna that it would be a good idea to share WHY I'm putting myself through this ... (and no, its not for love of tuna.) Here are some links for the town we're hoping to move to and a couple of photos of the view from the house we're hoping to (someday) purchase!

Petersburg, Alaska:

The official city website: http://www.ci.petersburg.ak.us/
The Chamber of Commerce website: http://www.petersburg.org/
Another tourist information website: http://www.petersburgalaska.com/

This is where Petersburg is located ... see the blue circle? We're in there.








The House:




This is the view from our would-be deck!








This is the view from our living room ... are you drooling yet?

Pasta with Veggies and Tuna in Cream Sauce


Surprise, surprise ... more tuna! I'm down to only 2 pounds still left, thanks to a lot of tuna salad, some tuna melts, this recipe, and a few cat snacks (I know ...) This recipe was good, but I'd have liked it better without the tuna. We got the veggies as leftovers from dinner with friends of ours a few days ago. Had to use them somehow. This recipe was great and really easy - and it has the added benefit of being a "one-dish" meal. I love those.

COST: $1.40
Egg Noodles: $0.75
Milk: $0.15
Neufchatel: $0.50
Veggies: FREE
Tuna: FREE

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 bag of wide egg noodles (I like Inn Maid)
1/4 cup milk
4 oz (half brick) Neufchatel cheese
Steamed veggies (use the amount you like - I had about 2 cups)
1 can tuna
Salt & Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
In saucepan, boil egg noodles according to package directions. When about 5 minutes of cook time remain, add veggies. When noodles are done, drain veggies and pasta in colander. In same pan as you used for the pasta, heat milk and neufchatel cheese (stirring regularly) over medium heat until neufchatel is completely melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir in tuna. Allow to simmer over low heat until desired consistency is reached. Pour over pasta and veggies in serving dish and toss to coat.

Key Lime Meringue Pie


I'm proud of my meringue pies ... one of my specialties. Well, some friends of ours gave us a bunch of fresh key limes from their yard, so I decided to try my hand at Key Lime Meringue Pie. It tastes great, Rob gave it an A. I'll probably rate it a B+ because it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it to. See, if you make a meringue pie when its SUPER humid, the meringue will turn out sticky and the custard part doesn't set up quite right. Oh, well. A drier day (or climate) would've made this an A+ on all counts. This recipe is adapted from my Grandmother's Joy of Cooking cookbook.

COST: $2.44
Key Limes: FREE
Nilla Wafer Pie Crust: $0.99 (had in pantry for a while)
Eggs: $0.35
Sugar: $0.50
Corn Starch: $0.10
Salt: $0.05
Butter: $0.15
Cream of Tartar: $0.25
Vanilla: $0.05

INGREDIENTS (FILLING/SHELL):
Premade Nilla-Wafer Crumb Crust
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 Tblsp corn starch
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup fresh key lime (or lemon) juice
3 well-beaten egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
1 1/2 cups boiling water

INGREDIENTS (MERINGUE):
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare pie shell (this generally means to take the plastic top off.) Sift sugar, cornstarch, and salt into a saucepan. Gradually blend in cold water and key lime juice. When smooth, add egg yolks and butter. Stirring constantly, add 1 1/2 cups boiling water, then bring mixture to full boil (I use medium heat). Continue stirring gently until mixture begins to thicken. When thickening occurs (this is unmistakeable), reduce heat to low and allow to simmer slowly 1 minute. Pour into pie shell.

In the meantime, you may want to make the meringue so that its ready when the pie filling is done (because you want to pour it over hot filling to start the eggs cooking). Whip egg whites until frothy. Add cream of tartar and whip until eggs form soft peaks (when you pull the beaters out, peaks should form, but should lean sideways). Beat in sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, then add vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form (peaks should remain upright). Spread over hot filling, being sure to seal to crust. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

My Favorite Things

You know how Martha Stewart has that "favorite things" section of her website? Well, I'm going to start adding my favorites to my blog here. Why shouldn't I get to draw attention to products that I like and would use/buy again?? So, here goes:

KitchenAid Professional 600-Series Stand Mixer




This stand mixer was a gift from my parents about 3 years ago. I love it beyond all reasonable love. I've never had problems mixing anything - from whipping 1 egg white to my mother's gallette recipe (which involves an ENTIRE 5-lb bag of flour). I love that the bowl is dishwasher safe and that the finish wipes clean easily. If you want your own, you can buy it here:


Pampered Chef Tool Turn-About



For those of you who know me well, you know that I LOVE pampered chef. I'd sell it, except that down here you have to be bilingual to be successful. All that being said, I have a slightly older version of this ... mine is white and not the "new and improved" version (which has stronger ball bearings).

I love this tool caddy because it keeps the tools from getting all tangled up in a drawer. I put it right next to the stove, which makes grabbing what I need really easy when I'm cooking. No more stuck-on sauce while I'm hunting for the right spoon!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Oops Cookies




So, about 2 days ago, I found this recipe for "Poor Man's Candy" - basically a potato, powdered sugar, and some peanut butter. I know, it sounds gross, but I was fascinated and couldn't figure out what it would taste like. So I decided to try it out (after all, potatoes are cheap!).

I bake two small potatoes in the microwave, peel them, mash them up. But they weren't smoothing out like I imagined that they should. So ... I added a little water (NOT in the recipe) and whipped them into smooth-looking mashed potatoes. Then I started adding powdered sugar. This is when I discovered why there wasn't any water in the recipe. Turns out, powdered sugar draws the moisture out of the potatoes so they are "self-moistening". Well, if you've already added water ... you get, essentially, sweet potato soup. The more powdered sugar I added, the soupier the mixture got. Ooops.

Well, obviously, that wasn't going anywhere, so then Rob suggested that we should just make cookies out of the mixture. So I added some flour, a little oil, an egg, some baking soda, and some vanilla. Oh, and about 1/2 a bag of chocolate chips.

I poured the whole mess onto a greased cookie sheet and baked it for 10 minutes at 350.

I got ... chocolate chip cookie bars ... but with the oddest texture you've ever tried! They're almost indescribable in texture. Somewhere between a fried clam and bubble gum. Tasted good, but really wierd to eat. :)

Oh, and incidentally, Rob asked me last night when I'm going to make them again. So they get, overall, a B+ from the both of us. Ooops.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Baked Tuna Rangoon


No, I didn't mistype. Yes, I really tried making "Tuna Rangoon". I got the recipe idea from a baked crab rangoon recipe on my friend Clara's blog. A little tweaking, a little creativity, and you know, it wasn't too bad! Rob liked it - probably a B+ ranking ... I would eat it again. Maybe a B- from me. But ... a good use of that 4.5 lbs of tuna. Only 4 lbs still to go!!

COST: $1.16
Wonton Wrappers: $0.03 ea x 12 = $0.36
4 oz Neufchatel: $0.50
FF Miracle Whip: approx $0.15
Tuna: Free (gift from "friends")
Onion: approx $0.10
Spices: approx $0.05


INGREDIENTS:
12 Wonton Wrappers
4 oz Neufchatel Cheese, softened
1/4 Cup Fat Free Miracle Whip
1 Can chunk light tuna (drained)
1/8 cup diced onion
Salt & Pepper to taste
Paprika to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. While preheating, spray mini-muffin tin (I used regular size, was a mistake) with Pam. Line each cup with wonton wrapper. Mix together Neufchatel, Miracle Whip, Tuna, Onion, and spices. Fill each wonton wrapper with an equal amount of mixture.

Bake at 350 until filling is golden brown - about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Milk ... How Much Is Too Much??

So, as I'm trying to cut back the grocery budget, it occurs to me that we're spending almost a tenth of our grocery budget PER MONTH on milk. With milk at $4.25 a gallon (or MORE), and our consumption rate at 2 gallons per month ... that's almost $10, out of a $100 budget.

That just won't do.

But how do we cut back on milk? Do we start drinking less milk? Do I start skipping it on cereal, in coffee, as an ingredient?

Nope!! I found a solution. Dried milk!! I can buy nonfat milk - the equivalent of about 3 gallons (I think) for less than $2.00! All I have to do is mix in the water and presto - instant milk!

And, using the non-fat powder to make the equivalent of skim milk - I save on calories, but improve on the taste. Powdered dry milk is creamier than skim ... so a little better tasting!

I don't know whether to applaud myself or wonder what kind of an idiot didn't think of this sooner.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Happy 3-Month Anniversary!



So, yesterday (10-7-07) was our three-month anniversary! I am a firm believer in celebrating every little milestone, so ... we splurged a little bit and spent about 1/2 our weekly food budget on this meal. :) Good thing we have that 5-lb can of tuna to fall back on!

Also, for those of you who are wondering about my kitchen, this photo includes some of it. You are viewing my kitchen table, west kitchen window, pantry door, and one of my canister set. The sunflowers were an anniversary gift from Rob.

So ... our anniversary meal:

COST: $9.26
2 - 1/2 lb ribeye steaks - $4.99
1/2 lb potato salad (premade from HEB) - $1.49
1 can Pillsbury reduced fat biscuits - $1.99
1 can low-sodium carrots - $0.79

DIRECTIONS:
Give thawed steak to Rob to grill. Open can of carrots, pour in bowl, heat in microwave. Pop tab on pre-made potato salad, remove lid, place on table. Preheat oven. Pop open can of biscuits. Arrange on cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Put in bowl.

Now, that's MY kind of cooking!! :)

Review: Pillsbury Reduced Fat Cinnamon Rolls with Icing


COST: $2.99 at HEB

I bought these cinnamon-rolls-in-a-can at HEB a while back. They're reduced fat and only 140 calories per roll, so I figured they'd make a good breakfast sometime when I'm craving a doughnut or whatever. I made them Sunday morning as a "Happy Anniversary" breakfast for Rob.

It was easy - pop open the can, put each one cinnamon-side-up on an ungreased cookie sheet, bake for 10 minutes at 400. Remove from oven, frost with the included icing, enjoy!

Rob LOVED them ... and so did I. For something "Reduced Fat" - they were delicious and I really couldn't tell that they weren't a bakery cinnamon roll. And all this for less than $.40 per serving! Highly recommended!

Tuna, Tuna, Everywhere!!

So, as you may have noticed in my previous post, we are now the proud owners of one 5-lb can of tuna from Sam's Club. Believe it or not, it was a "gift" from some friends of ours. (Long story.)

Anyhow, to make a long story short, what does one do with 5 lbs of tuna? I've already made tuna-noodle-casserole with it. Beyond tuna salad and tuna melts, anyone have some genious ideas for what to do with the rest of the can? I still have almost 4.5 lbs left!! I need help.

Oh, and expect LOTS of tuna recipes this week. :)

Mom's Tuna Noodle "Casserole"

Yes, I know. I forgot to take pictures of the plates when they were pretty and "untouched." So now ... well, you get a photo of my half-eaten dinner. :)

So, anyhow, on Saturday night, I was sick - sore throat, etc - and I wanted a little comfort food. Nothing says comfort like my mom's tuna noodle "casserole". It's not TECHNICALLY a casserole, because you don't bake it. But don't tell her that. :) Anyhow, DH is not a tuna-noodle casserole person ... but he LOVED this! Obviously, I liked it too.

COST: (All costs are approximate on this) $2.10
1/2 an onion: $0.50
Butter: $0.25
Wondra: $0.10
Milk: $0.50
Tuna: $0.25 (portion from a 5-lb Sam's Club can ... more on this later)
Egg Noodles: $0.50

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 an onion, diced
4 tablespoons butter
Enough Wondra to thicken
Approx. 1 cup milk
1 can tuna - light in water, drained
1/2 bag Wide Egg Noodles

Directions:
Put water on to boil for egg noodles. When boiling, add noodles to water, allow to boil until al-dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, in small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and stir until onion is cooked (clear). Thicken butter with enough Wondra to make a paste-like consistency. Add milk, stirring constantly until thoroughly mixed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in tuna. Add more Wondra if necessary - sauce should be the same consistency as thin gravy when served and will thicken upon standing.

When sauce is right and noodles are drained, mix together in bowl. Serve with bread and butter.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

The Budget Gourmet

So, we're trying to cut back on our grocery costs to save up for our big move to Alaska. This means that I'm going to be baking and cooking more, and we're headed for the "rice & beans" diet. So ... in an effort to be cost-conscious, I'm going to be listing approximate manufacturing costs on each dish that I serve.

You'll also be finding more bread, main dishes, and "food crafts" - like jams & jellies - on the menu. I want to make our grocery budget (for 2 people) less than $100 per month. I can do this. Once I get to under $100, I want to make it $75 per month and see if I can do that. :)

Wish me luck, and if you have any suggestions for "cheap" meals, let me know!!

Review: Marie Callender's Crock Pot Classics - Chicken and Dumplings


So, we bought this (and another crock pot frozen dinner) at the HEB two weeks ago ... and Rob has been wanting to try it, so tonight, I popped it into the crock pot. The directions were fairly straightforward, if not more complicated than I like my crock-pot recipes to be. (I prefer: "Dump all ingredients into pot. Cook for specified amount of time. Enjoy.")
COST: $7.49 - HEB

THE RESULTS:


The taste? It was good! I'm not sure what I was expecting, really ... maybe a thick, stew-like texture. It came out more like soup (although it thickened up nicely in the fridge), but the taste was very good. Just the right amount of chicken, veggies, and broth. It was a little on the salty side, but that's to be expected with any pre-prepared food. I served it with generic Walmart crescent rolls that I baked on the baking stone.

There was plenty for a second meal, too (and it is now hibernating joyfully in my fridge.)

Overall, we give it two thumbs up!

Monday, October 1, 2007

Monkey Bread


REVIEW:
Not the monkey bread I remembered. The "caramelized" topping wasn't the right taste for my tastebuds. Honestly, I think I'd like it better if there hadn't been any topping at all involved (although I'm not sure it would've stuck together so well. I'm gonna look for another recipe. DH ... loved it and wants me to make it again.

COST: $2.60
Three cans of buttermilk biscuits - $1.18 total - Walmart
1 Cup Cinnamon-Sugar - approximately $0.50 (ingredients already in pantry)
1 Cup Brown Sugar - approximately $0.50 (already in pantry)
1 Stick Butter - $0.42

INGREDIENTS:
3 cans buttermilk biscuits (I used Pillsbury 50-cal biscuits)
1 cup cinnamon-sugar (1 cup white sugar, 1 tablespoon or more cinnamon)
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter

DIRECTIONS:
Cut biscuits into 4 pieces each. Roll each piece in cinnamon sugar (or put into ziploc bag and shake to coat). Put into bundt or angel food pan. Cook brown sugar and butter until caramelized. Pour over biscuits. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Reese Goodie Cookies

These are a total favorite from my high school cafeteria. Seriously, they sold them for a quarter apiece and ... they had to limit most kids to FOUR. Otherwise they'd completely run out!

NOTE: These are MUCH better if you use the CHEAPEST peanut butter you can find ... Jif is a bad choice ... if you have an Aldi or Save-a-Lot nearby, use their generic, otherwise, generic grocery store peanut butter works best.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup peanut butter
1 bag chocolate chips (at LEAST 1 cup ... more depending on how much chocolate you want)

DIRECTIONS:
Beat together butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar, and vanilla until mixed well. Add 1 cup peanut butter and stir until mixed. Pat into a cookie sheet (the kind with edges) and put into fridge to cool.

When cool, top with melted chocolate chips. As chocolate chips are ALMOST hardened, cut into bars. Chill before serving - store in refridgerator.

White Batter Bread


I've never made a batter bread before this one - so I wasn't sure what to expect. It turned out great, though! Dense and sweet with just the right amount of yeastiness. Rob loved it and I can't wait to make it again! The only catch is that I forgot to spray the tube part of the tube pan with baker's joy before baking and the middle part of the bread stuck a little. Oops. :)

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine (I used butter) softened
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 eggs
5 1/2 - 6 cups all purpose flour

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the milk, butter, sugar, salt, eggs and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth (I used the paddle attachment to my KA). Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (meaning that it sticks to itself, but is still sticking to the sides of the pan as well). Do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled (1 hour).
Stir the dough down. Spoon into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Cover and let rise until doubled - another hour. Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Mine went 25 minutes exactly. Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cool completely.