Healthy Recipe: Green Juice

I LOVE my Juicer!! I got it off E-bay for $26+ shipping. It's a Juiceman Jr. and it's awesome. It will juice greens, whole apples, anything you want to throw in, really. I wanted to share a juice recipe I came up with that I love and is a great way for people who don't like veggies (ME!) to sneak them in easily.

3 carrot sticks (green ends cut off)
3 whole apples, stems removed
1-2 handfuls of spinach
1 bunch of red seedless grapes
A few small pieces of fresh ginger, no need to peel (Can adjust to preference-adds a little zing)

Wash and throw in a juicer!!
The color looks kinda weird (green from the spinach dominates) but it's very sweet and the ginger gives it a nice little zip. Happy juicing!

Linked up to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tuesdays at the Table.

Tasty Tuesday: Recipe Dilema

I've often wanted to post more recipes on here. I love to cook. L-O-V-E it. But I have a problem posting recipes on here for a reason: I rarely use recipes. Even when I do use recipes, I rarely follow them. I use recipes as helpful suggestions, rather than instructions. I don't even follow the directions on the box of mac and cheese... I usually "doctor" it up. :) For this reason, it is very difficult for me to reproduce my results or pass them along to others.

For example, I made Turkey Soup on Sunday. Here was my basic cooking process:

1. Realize I have guests coming for lunch tomorrow and that I should prepare something
2. Open the freezer
3. Dodge the avalanche of frozen food from my "booby trapped" freezer
4. Find a weird block of cooked, shredded meat I believe to be turkey
5. If there's turkey, may as well use some of the misshapen bags of turkey stock in the freezer
6. Place turkey and stock in the fridge knowing full well they won't thaw in time for lunch tomorrow
7. The next day, around 10AM I realize I should do something about the impending lunch
8. Pull out still very frozen turkey and stock
9. Melt a hunk of butter in a large dutch oven
10. Chop an onion and stir it into the butter
11. Add garlic. It's already minced in a jar and I don't measure it (just to be wild!)
12. Find week old bacon in the fridge, chop it and add it to the pot
13. While the onion, bacon and garlic are partying in the pot, I try to chop up frozen turkey hunks without cutting myself or damaging my knife
14. Pour the half thawed stock into the pot (watch out for splashes from the hunks of frozen stock falling in)
15. Scrape the turkey into the stock
16. Search for fresh vegetables and find celery. Chop 3 stalks and add to the pot.
17. There are no more fresh vegetables to be found, so I search the freezer and find corn cut from the cob and frozen last summer. Not bad, add it to the pot.
18. Consider adding frozen scallions, but decide I have enough oniony stuff already
19. Decide I have enough vegetables after all (because I don't think frozen broccoli will be a very good addition)
20. Dump in what looks like a reasonable amount of little alphabet pasta I got for Christmas
21. Add 2 bay leaves, Italian seasoning and (as an after thought) some salt
22. Realize the pasta is soaking up all the stock and go in search of some canned stock. Find chicken stock I keep on hand for just such a situation and add some to the pot. Then add more. Then add a little more. Finally, dump the rest in.
23. Make some *amazing* grilled cheese sandwiches and serve with the Turkey Suprise soup

And that's how I made lunch that day. Luckily, it wasn't a flop and ended up being a great way to use up some of the things I already had on hand. Plus, it was a fairly healthy recipe. If you can call it a recipe. Wish I had pictures, but I was so busy not following a recipe I forgot to take some.

Do you follow recipes? What do you think of my Turkey Soup instructions? :) Linked up to Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, and Tuesdays at the Table.

Recipe: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Originally posted 11/6/08, I thought these would be perfect now that we're in full blown fall season and they freeze well!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
makes about 24

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
16oz canned pumpkin
1-3/8 cups of vegetable oil
3/8 cup of ground flaxseed
3 cups flour
2 tsp. ea baking powder and soda
1 tsp. ea salt and ground cinnamon
12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips (I'm thinking of using carob chips!)

Mix the wet and dry ingredients seperately. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. DO NOT overmix as this will make them dense. They should be lumpy. Fold in chips. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 400F for 16-20 minutes. Happy Baking!

Gratituesday: 3rd Brithday and Cake Recipe!

I can hardly believe my baby is already 3 now!! I'm so thankful for her and definitely believe that she is a blessing. Parenting can be hard at times (ok, most of the time), but I'm so thankful for the joy and love she fills our lives with. She teaches me so much! We had a birthday party for her last week and for those of you who were wondering, here's how I made her cake.

Dora in the Clouds
I made Dora's face by following the cake recipe and instructions on Nick Jr. I changed a few things, but basically followed the guidelines. I didn't use paste food coloring for her face color. I just mixed the vanilla frosting with some of the chocolate frosting and hot chocolate mix. LoL. I also didn't pipe in her hair. I just smeared it on with a knife and then outlined parts with the light brown face frosting.

The white stuff I made dairy free for a few people who were coming. It was chocolate mini cupcakes frosted with White Mountain frosting (I didn't use the salt or cream of tartar). We just smeared the frosting all over them, which made them blend in nicely. The mini cupcakes were just a chocolate cake recipe I found in my Betty Crocker Cookbook. If you have any questions about the cake, feel free to ask!

Recipe: Crockpot Chicken

Photo by Tammra McCauley

I have been getting a lot of whole chickens from my CSA so far and I'm loving it! Whole chickens are pretty inexpensive in the store ($0.89/lb at Giant Eagle) and you can make them stretch pretty far. Here's a great way to cook up your whole chicken!

Crockpot Whole Chicken

• Whole chicken or two (about 5 lbs each)
• Old veggies that need used up (think onions, carrots, celery, etc)
• Water
• Herbs (I threw in a few sprigs of fresh thyme from my "garden")
• Other flavorings are optional (lemon is good, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, etc.)

I plop the whole chicken in the middle of the crock pot (mine once fit two in it, though I don't know that I'd recommend it) and place the old veggies around the chicken. Fill crock pot about 1/2 way with water, add seasonings and cover. Cook all day on low. Or high. Whatever. See how easy that is?

When your chicken falls apart when you look at it, it's done. :) Seriously, I have to fish parts of it out with a slotted spoon. Pick all the fabulous meat off the bones (once it cools down a little!) and discard the bones. Discard the veggies and large herbs. Left in your pot is a fabulous, golden liquid that is the base of fantastic soup. This stuff is worth it's weight in gold... almost.

One whole, 5 lbs-ish chicken can stretch to 3-4 meals. Think chicken stir fry, chicken soup, chicken casserole, etc. Because it's so expensive, we don't just eat a helping of meat. It's usually part of a bigger dish.

I love doing my chickens this way because it saves me a step. I don't have to boil the bones separately for stock, the crockpot's already done it for me! Refrigerate the stock and use within a few days or freeze it. Warning: the stock will get gelatinous, because it's made from the bones. Broth is made from boiling just the meat, so it doesn't get gelatinous. Learned that one from Alton Brown. :)

Check out Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tuesdays at the Table for other great inspiration! Also, you’ll find all kinds of new recipes this weekend at Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Parade!!

Recipe: Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce

This was a fly by the seat of your pants kind of trial recipe that I created at 10PM the other night while trying to use up some of the ingredients from my CSA box. It was good. It was very good. Our house smelled like an upscale Italian restaurant for the rest of the night. :)

Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce
1 head of garlic
3 large heirloom tomatoes (or whatever you have)
1 small can of tomato paste
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 small palmful of Italian Seasoning blend
salt
water as needed
2 tablespoons(ish) of sugar

Drizzle the garlic head with a little olive oil (try to get it in the cracks) and roast at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes (or until your house smells absolutely wonderful and the cloves are soft when pressed).

Meanwhile, roughly chopped the tomatoes, add them to a large pot and sprinkle with salt (1-2 tsp maybe). Bring to simmer over medium heat, cover and allow the tomatoes to soften. Add the tomato paste, sauce and seasonings and mash it all together. If it's too thick, you can add some water. When the garlic is done and cooled off slightly, peel it and mash it into the tomato sauce. Cover, turn to low and allow to simmer gently as long as you want. Sprinkle with sugar and enjoy.

Why sugar? Sugar helps to tone down the acidity of the tomato a little. I'm not a big fan of "in your face" tomato sauce. I like it a little mellower and the sugar helps. Plus, roasted garlic has a bit of a sweet hint to it as well. It may just be me, but I'm betting this sauce is better with age so I put it right into the fridge and let the flavors party together over night. Of course, I put it into the freezer, but my husband tried it first and declared it his second favorite sauce... next to Vodka Tomato Sauce. :)

Check out Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday and Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Parade for other great recipes!

Healthy Recipe: Asaparagus

It's turning to spring here in Ohio and that means asparagus is on sale. Asaparagus is usually one of the first seasonal crops for us. I used to HATE asaparagus, back before I knew that it has to be cooked properly to be good (like most food!) Unfortunately, it's often overcooked which turns it into slimy, mushy nastiness.

If cooked properly, fresh asapargus needs very little to make it incredibly tasty! Plus, it's fairly cheap (in season) and oh so healthy. I've been eating it every night with dinner as part of my detox diet. Here's the way I make it that's incredibly yummy (even my husband and daughter will eat it this way!!)

Steamed Asparagus

• 1 bunch of asparagus ends trimmed (see below)
• 1/2 of a whole lemon
• 1/4-1/2 tsp ground ginger
• salt to taste (a pinch or two is good)
• drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

I hate to be so general with the ingredients list, but this recipe varies by how much asparagus you have, how fresh and tasty it is, and your own preferences. I don't need much dressing to like good asparagus!

Hold one piece of the asparagus and "snap" the end off. It will naturally and easily snap. That end is woodly, chewy, and NOT good. You can save it in the freezer for soup stock if you want, but I just toss it. Line up all the ends of the asparagus stalks and cut off the same amount that you snapped off the first one. Makes life easier that way. :)

I used a steamer pot over a pot of boiling water. Steam it however you want. Doing it my way, I put it over med high heat for 10 minutes from the time I turn the burner on. Check it!! DO NOT OVERCOOK! Asparagus should be pierced fairly easily with a fork without being too soft. It should still have some "bite" or snap to it.

Remove from the heat the second you notice it's done and put on a serving plate. Sprinkle the ginger and salt and drizzle the oil. You can zest the lemon if you want and squeeze the juice over the asparagus. Toss the asparagus in all the oil and juice to lightly coat it and enjoy!

To see other great recipes this week, check out Tempt my Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday and Tuesdays at the Table!

Recipe of the Week: Tuna Egg Salad

I LOVE this stuff! My mom used to make it when I was a kid, so I guess it's a comfort food. Luckily, it's also very economical (our mom's were good at that, weren't they?) I've also broken it down into calories (still trying to be good about losing that baby weight!) and it's not too damaging, especially for comfort food!

Tuna Egg Salad-3.5-4 WW Points (5-6 servings)

• 1 5oz. can of light tuna in water (drained-100 calories)
• 6 hard boiled eggs (peeled and diced-420 calories, ouch!)
• 2 tablespoons of mayo (220 calories)
• mustard to taste (0 calories)
• Dill pickles to taste (I even pour some of the juice in-about 5 calories)

Mix all the ingredients together until it's creamy and tastes good! One serving (about 1/5 of the mixture) will cost you about 148 calories! I toasted an Arnold's Multi Grain Sandwich Thin (100 calories) with 1oz of Mozzarella cheese (80 calories) and topped it with 1/5 of the Tuna mixture. So, I had one of my childhood favorites (Tuna Melt!) for lunch today at about 328 calories. Not bad. You could always make substitutions to make it even lighter (like light mayo, only half a Sandwich Thin or no cheese). Eggs and tuna are fairly cheap which makes this an economical, satisfying comfort food!

**Updated 9/10/09:
As per a comment, I tried this recipe out, substituting 4 tablespoons of plain low fat yogurt for the mayo. To my surprise, I could barely tell a difference and I loved it! The yogurt only added 27.5 calories compared to the mayo's 220 calories! Using this substitution makes this awesome salad only 110 calories per serving (1/5 of the recipe) which brings the WW points down to 2.5-3. Wonderful! Thanks for the tip!!

Too see other frugal ideas, check out Life as Mom's Frugal Friday and to see other fine things, check out Amy's Finer Thing's Friday! Check out Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday for other yummy recipes! Also, You’ll find all kinds of new recipes this weekend at Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Parade!!

Works For Me Wednesday: Weight Loss

http://www.flickr.com/photos/plastanka/ / CC BY 2.0

I'm still waging war with my eating habits. I love food. I love to cook. Love to eat. Love to feed other people. LoL. It's no wonder I'm on Weight Watchers!

Whenever I manage to stay on track for my points each day, I'm thrilled. So, I'm always looking for satisfying, low points foods that I actually want to eat. I've come up with the perfect breakfast that uses up my stock, is low in points and keeps me full until lunch!

Weight Watchers Blueberry Oatmeal (2.5 points)

• 1/2 c. quick oats
• 1 c. of water
• 1 packet of truvia
• 1/2 c. frozen blueberries

I mix the water and oatmeal and microwave until hot and the water is mostly absorbed. I then stir in the truvia and blueberries, microwaving again if the blueberries make it too cold.

What a fantastic breakfast! I use up some of the oatmeal I got for $0.50 or less with coupons, the 30 some pounds of blueberries I picked last summer and I can even tolerate the "fake" sugar truvia. I figure that since it's made from stevia (all natural) that it's not so bad for me. I'm sure I'll read otherwise sometime in the future, but until then I'll use it. I stretch eating this oatmeal out all morning and it lasts me and keeps me full until lunchtime.

This low points recipe works for me. What weight loss recipes work for you?

Iranian "Macaroni Salad"

My lovely neighbors (they live in the addition part of our house we rent) are Christian refugees from Iran and have been here since May. I've been tasting a lot of their dishes and there are two in particular that I really LOVE. One is "Green Beans and Rice" (loo-bee-a pollo) and the other is what she calls Macaroni Salad. It's somewhat like our macaroni salad and potato salad combined. Yesterday she showed me basically how to make it. Sorry, but she never measures anything, so here's the recipe with the general measurements. :)

Iranian Macaroni Salad

• 5 med potatoes boiled, peeled and diced
• 5-6 chicken legs cooked with onion, stripped from the bone and cut up
• 1/4-1/2 c. diced dill pickles
• 1 regular box (1lb I think) of shell macaroni, cooked
• 7 eggs hard boiled, peeled and diced
• 4-5 tbsp mayo
• 5-6 tbsp plain yogurt
• 1 tbps salt (to taste)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (to taste and consistency)

Pile the first five ingredients seperately on plates. In a small bowl, mix the mayo, yogurt, salt and lemon juice together. It should be a thick liquid that is rather salty and sour. It will seem too salty and sour, but it'll flavor it evenly when poured on. In a 9"x13" pan, layer the pasta, eggs, pickles and chicken. When half way full, pour half of the "sauce" on. Layer the rest of the ingredients and top with the rest of the sauce. Serve immediately or refrigerate. If refrigerating for long, you will need more sauce because it'll soak in. Hope you enjoy this Iranian dish!

For more great recipes, check out Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap. You’ll also find all kinds of new recipes this weekend at Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Parade!

Dark Chocolate Mocha

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brendaannerl/ / CC BY 2.0

I know I've posted this one before, but it's very worth another post! Plus, since I've been working on dieting, I have some new tips to help make this treat even better!

I stumbled across the idea for this fun creation today leading up to nap time. This week has not been a good one and I need to find some better ways of relaxing and coping... coffee has become one of them.

Now, I'm not endorsing caffeine as a coping mechanism or a good habit. I've always avoided letting coffee become a habit and so far (at almost 24 years of age) I'm still not addicted to coffee. I used to witness my mom's addiction to it and always tried not to let that happen to me. I somehow survived 4 years of Civil Engineering classes without it and hope to continue. However, after having my second child, I am now seeing why so many moms need love coffee! I personally hate the taste of coffee and can only drink the "frilly" coffee stuff (think mocha latte super sugar flavored anything). Therefore, I treat coffee drinks as a pampering treat and after a week like this one, I sure need it!

I used stuff I have in my pantry to come up with this little treat, instead of hitting Starbucks or Border's. On top of the savings in cost, I was able to control the ingredients, so I know it's not out of control in the calories department. I've been closely watching calories lately (another fun byproduct of having my second child) and this is an almost guilt-free indulgence.

Dark Chocolate Mocha (3 Weight Watchers Points)

• 1 c. of 1% milk (110 calories)
• 1 packet of Nestle Taster's Choice in Original or 1-2 tsp instant coffee (free sample through the mail!) (0 calories)
• 1-2 teaspoons of unsweetened baking chocolate (14 calories)
• 2 teaspoons of white table sugar (30 calories) or Xylitol (20 calories)
  

If you really wanted to cut back, you can make this with 1/2 c. milk and 1/2 c. water and save 1 point and 55 calories, but I think it's worth the extra cost to make it with all milk

You can use a sugar substitute, but I seriously hate the taste of most of those and for 30 calories (and 1 point), I think the real thing was worth it in this case. Beverages allow the flavor to be too obvious.

Heat half the milk in a mug in the microwave until very hot. Stir in coffee, baking chocolate and sugar. Now, the baking chocolate takes some time and effort to get properly mixed in so stir it good! Add the rest of the milk and enjoy!

Doing it this way keeps it from being too hot. I hate coffee you have to wait 20 minutes to drink because it's too hot. If you want it that hot, by all means, heat all of the milk in the microwave. If you want it colder, heat less of the milk. However, to get the stuff to dissolve properly, you need HOT liquid, so if you want it completely cold you'll have to mix it and then refrigerate or freeze it.

To recap:
You now have a low cost, deliciously almost guilt-free way of pampering yourself for only 154 calories (or 3 Weight Watchers Points) without leaving the house. Sounds good to me! Check out other frugal ideas at Life as Mom's Frugal Friday! To see other wonderful things, check out Finer Things Friday. To see other great recipes check out Tasty Tuesday, Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, and Tuesdays at the Table! You’ll find all kinds of new recipes this weekend at Heavenly Homemakers Recipe Parade!!

Homemade Kettle Korn

Oh my! I am obsessed with Kettle Korn. Every year, at least once a year, I have to buy at least one bag of it at some carnival or fair. Really, whoever thought it up is a genius. Microwave Kettle Korn bags just don't do it justice. Imagine my surprise and delight when I found a general recipe for it, tried it and found that it's basically exactly the same as carnival style! At home. For a fraction of the cost!!

Some of you may not know what Kettle Korn is. How to describe it exactly? Hmmm... it's like a very lightly carameled corn that's also salty. A sweet and salty combo. It is fabulous! It would also make a great party food... cheap and easy!

Homemade Kettle Korn

• 1/4-1/3 c. popcorn kernels
• 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
• enough water to make the sugar into a slurry
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 tsp salt

Pour the kernels into a brown paper bag (lunch bag style) and fold down about 1/2 an inch twice. Staple it twice (side by side in a line) with, yes, metal staples. It'll work, trust me.

Microwave on your popcorn setting. It really is safe to do this. Just treat it as you would any microwave popcorn bag. When it's done, pour it into a bowl, shake to separate the unpopped kernels and scoop the popcorn out, leaving the kernels behind. This is very important! Trust me, eating kettle korn kernels is not pleasant.

Mix the sugar and water together in a small saucepan (preferable non stick) and heat over medium heat. It'll get bubbly as the water boils off. Boil it for a while, until it turns a pretty golden color. It will smell slightly burnt. That's basically what caramel is... burnt sugar. :)

Slurry

Beginning to boil

Beautiful Amber Color

Note: Do not get this stuff on your skin and don't do this with kids around. This hot sugar is basically molten lava and sticks to you as it burns you. Also... do not try to lick it off if it does happen to get on you. Trust me...

Once it's a beautiful amber color, turn off the heat, quickly stir in the butter until melted and pour over the popcorn, stirring the popcorn to get it well coated. Sprinkled with salt and any other seasonings you desire. You can spread this out to cool on a cookie sheet or just keep it in the bowl. You really should wait for it to cool (again, trust me...). If you opt for the bowl version, you'll have to break it up as you eat it. Yum!!

Serves: Just one of me or maybe 3 normal people :) (How'd you like my step by step with pictures? Is it helpful? I think I'm getting the hang of taking blog pictures!)

Finding a way to make one of your favorite treats at home? I'd call that a Finer Thing! Check out Life as Mom's URS for other great game day recipe ideas! For other great frugal ideas, check out Frugal Friday!

Frugal Friday: A Cheap Date

I have yet another cheap date idea! How about a movie and carmel popcorn. Mmmm... I tried this recipe and it's fantastic!

Now, before you freak, yes, it is possible to make your own microwave popcorn with just kernels, a brown lunch bag and two staples (I read about from Alton Brown, my cooking inspiration!) and no the staples don't catch the microwave on fire or anything. This is how I always make it now- never had a problem, except when the bag once got caught on the wall, which kept it from turning, so it burned. My microwave still smells. Blah!

Carmel Popcorn and Peanuts (like the one in the March 2009 All You)

-1/3 c. unpopped popcorn kernels
-1 c. peanuts
-1 1/2 c. sugar
-2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
-2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
-1 tsp. vanilla
-1 tsp salt

Put kernels into a brown paper bag (lunch bag type) and fold it down about an inch (I do it a second time too). Staple it twice, in a row, to keep it shut. Microwave on high on your popcorn setting. Pour into a large bowl and add peanuts.

In a large pot, mix 1/4 c water, sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over med.-high heat. Reduce to med and cook without stirring until it is a light amber color, 4-6 min. I think I did it a little too long because it was pretty hard.

Remove pot from heat and stir in butter, vanilla and salt. Pour carmel over popcorn and nuts and stir until completely and evenly coated. Scrape mixture onto a prepared baking sheet (with parchment paper or foil) and let cool before breaking into pieces.

Movie: Redbox!! For those of you who don't know much about redbox, it's pretty cool and very easy. You find a redbox location (usually outside Walmarts, Giant Eagles, etc). Browse through their movie selection (not the best, has a lot of garbage, but some good ones too) and pick your movie. Add it to your cart and check out.

All you need is a debit or credit card to swipe. It costs $1-$2/night and it's due the next day at 9PM at any Redbox location. Redbox is cool because there are a TON of promo codes out there for a free movie. You can go here to see all the promo codes. So, popcorn and a movie for very cheap!

Check out other money saving Frugal Friday tips over here!

Pantry Cooking: Italian Potato Fritatta

I've been following along with the Eat From Your Pantry Challenge in hopes of keeping my grocery budget low this month and to use up all the odds and ends we have floating around here. One thing we've had TONS of is eggs (thanks to wonderful friends with chickens). Therefore, this recipe was born out of necessity. I had to do something with the 5 cartons of eggs in my fridge!

Italian Potato Fritatta

• 1 large or 2 med potatoes, peeled and diced (children are especially helpful with this!)
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 6 eggs
• 6 tablespoons of milk (3/8 c.)
  
• 1 cup of strong shredded cheese (I used baby swiss), divided
• salt, pepper and Italian herb blend to taste
• 1/4 c. salsa

Heat oven to 450. Melt the butter in an ovenproof pan over med heat. Cook the potatoes and onions covered, over med heat, until soft, stirring occasionally. Don't stir too often, you want the potatoes to get a crisp brown on some sides.

While the potatoes are softening, beat the eggs and milk together. Add 1/2 c. of the cheese to the egg mixture and stir well. Mix in the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. When the potatoes are soft, pour the eggs mixture over the potatoes and shake to distribute evenly. Allow to cook, uncovered, until the edges are set, but the top is still runny.

Place the pan in the oven until the top is set, but not dry (maybe 5-7 minutes). Remove the pan and spoon the salsa over the eggs and top with the remaining cheese. Place the pan back in the oven until the cheese is melted. Remove from the over, cut with a spatula and serve immediately! Add some fruit and you have a very hearty meal!

To see other great recipes, check out Tasty Tuesday, Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, URS at Life as Mom and Tuesdays at the Table!

How-To Make Frugal Pantry Ham and Lentil Soup

Here's my "How-To make leftover soup." I have so many odds and ends around this house, I've decided it's time to take some action! I love a good blog challenge and the Eat From the Pantry Challenge came at just the right time for me, since I'm trying to clean out the freezers and pantry of my house and save money on groceries this week!

So far, I'm not doing too bad. We did get Arby's one night because I lost track of time and stayed too late at a friend's house one night and I did buy ice cream at an outrageous price on New Year's Day to take to my mom's house for dessert. Ah, poor planning. The enemy of the frugal foodies.

But not yesterday! I planned on using the ham bone that's been sitting in our freezer since my 2nd daughter was born...... last June. :) Told ya, I really need to clean out the freezers! I wish now I had taken pictures. That's my next blogging goal to work on: Actually use the awesome digital camera I got for Christmas. Plus, you may not have wanted to see pictures of the ham carnage anyway... it was a scary sight. Picture this......

Me with a knife trying to hack slimy chunks of meat off of a ham bone. *Gag* I hate messing with meat with my hands. I'd always rather dump it in a pan or pot and just cook it. I'm a texture freak. My husband had people there looking at a table we're selling (and sold!) as I was trying to dumb my lovely ham stock into another pot and burning myself. Ah, the joys of cooking. The problem with my "creations" is that I rarely remember how I created it so I often can't tell others or even duplicate it myself. I think I basically remember this time, so, if you're interested, here's a fairly good recipe for :

Pantry Ham and Lentil Soup

• Ham Bone and water to cover
• whole cloves (about 1 tsp)
• bay leaves (5 or 6)
• old carrots that have been in my refrigerator since harvest time... in September?
• small onion, chopped
  
• extra brown rice water (saved it from boiling rice, had too much water)
• palmful of Italian seasoning we've had since we were married, I think
• salt, pepper, etc.
  
• bag of lentils (16oz I think)
• small amount of No Yolk egg noddles forgotten about in my pantry
• a block of frozen peas from my garden that had almost been forgotten about
• a few garden carrots that were still worthy of eating, sliced

You get the idea. This soup was a hodgepodge of extra ingredients I had laying around. I boiled the ham bone for maybe an hour or so with the cloves, bay leaves and old carrots. I poured the stock into another pot, discarded the carrots, cloves and bay leaves. I removed any useful meat from the bone (uck!!) and added it back into the stock with the chopped onion, sliced carrots, rice water and spices.

Frugal Foodie Tip: Whenever you add dry spices to something (like Italian seasonings) put them in your palm and rub it between your palms into the dish. This helps bring life back into older spices. :) I think this is one of the few things I learned from Rachel Ray.

I heated the stock again and 1/2 an hour before I wanted to serve the soup I added the lentils. I just dumped in the whole bag because I don't need another half bag of something in the pantry! 20 minutes later, I added the noodles and peas. There you have it! I added water as needed throughout the process, so now we have enough for several more meals.

Add in some Cresant rolls (bought with coupons!) from the fridge that expired in Dec 09 and you've got a wonderful, frugal meal that uses up extra pantry and freezer items! This same kind of idea works with a chicken carcass or any other bone you have around. Use old meat bones to make great stocks! Want some other great food ideas? Check out Tasty Tuesday, Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, Dining With Debbie , and Tuesdays at the Table!

Christmas Ideas: Homemade Gifts

http://www.flickr.com/photos/execgifts/ / CC BY 2.0

I've made no hiding of the fact that everyone's getting homemade stuff this year (and stuff from my stockpile!) I've been searching the internet for quite some time and have seen a LOT of ideas for homemade gifts. Need some inspiration? Here's a few of the ideas I've found:

• Homemade girl scout cookies (samoas bars, thin mints, tagalongs, do-si-dos)
• Matzo candy
• Homemade peanut butter cups
  (Thanks Holly!)
• Visit the Homemade Gift Party to see lots of ideas
• Check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap: Food Gifts for more ideas
• Vanilla Chai Tea Mix (This was great!! My Mom love it!)
• Fireside Coffee Mix
• Hot Spiced Tea Mix

That should be enough to get you started... :) Hopefully you're almost done with your Christmas preparations! What will/did you make for gifts this year? Share with us!

Wish I Knew This Earlier....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/collinanderson/ / CC BY 2.0

Wish I had seen this list last Easter when I was trying to make a turkey that was still partially frozen and wouldn't cook and I think my probe thermometer was off!! What a nightmare... it was straight out of those horror dreams you have about ruining a holiday dinner.... thanks Cherry Picker for the heads up!! I might just print this and tape it to my homemade recipe book.

Pick the day you are going to buy your turkey today.
/
Frozen turkeys should not be thawed on the back porch, in the car trunk, in the basement or on the kitchen counter, regardless of the temperature.
//
Refrigerator Thawing
Plan ahead
Allow approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds in a refrigerator set at 40 °F.
Refrigerator Thawing Times
(Whole turkey)
8 to 12 pounds..........1 to 2 days
12 to 16 pounds..........2 to 3 days
16 to 20 pounds..........3 to 4 days
20 to 24 pounds..........4 to 5 days

Recipe of the Week: Black Beans and Kielbasa

My husband loves this meal and it can easily be made ahead and put in the freezer, which is what I did when my second daughter was born. I got this recipe years ago out of our local newspaper back before I was even married!

Black Beans and Kielbasa

• 2-15oz cans black beans
• 1-14.5oz can of stewed tomatoes (sometimes I just use diced)
• 1 c. frozen corn
• 1 lb. kielbasa sausage
• 2 tsp minced garlic (jarred is fabulous!)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Rice to serve it over (optional)

Rinse and drain one can of black beans and pour it in a slower cooker. Add tomatoes, other beans and corn with juices. Sprinkle garlic and spices over the top, stir gently. Cut sausage into 6 pieces, prick with a fork and lay over the top. Cover and cook 6-10 hours on low (3-4 on high). This recipe doubles very well.

To freeze this: I line my slow cooker with foil (not the best, an actual slow cooker liner would be best) and pour it all in. I remove the crock and put it in the freezer. Once frozen, I pull it out, wrap it and label it. I don't even bother thawing it when I make it. I just put it straight into the slow cooker. For other great make ahead meals, check out the Ultimate Recipe Swap this week!

Blueberry Craisin Oatmeal Cookies

It'll kill you how AWESOME these cookies are, yet so wonderfully easy. Just try them first. You'll be addicted, I guarantee it!

Blueberry Craisin Oatmeal Cookies

• Pouch of Betty Crocker Oatmeal Cookie Mix
• Ingredients for pounch cookies: 1/2 stick butter, 1 tbsp water and 1 egg
• 1/2 c. dried blueberries
• 1/2 c. dried cranberries

You can use any combination of dried fruit really, but I LOVE the dried blueberries. Unfortunately, they are rather expensive, which is why I mix them with less expensive cranberries. Raisins would work too. Mix up the pouch mix with the butter, water and egg. It will be VERY stiff. I recommend a fork (my room mate/neighbor uses her hands). Add dried fruit and mix well. Scoop by rounded teaspoons onto sheet and bake according to pouch directions.

Like I said. Super easy. Super good. And kinda frugal too! (Depends on the fruit you use! :) Want other fabulous cookie recipes? Check out Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap: Cookie Style.

Baking Day Part 3

Part One and Part 2 if you'd like to catch up!
After I peeled and cored half of 1/2 a bushel of apples, I cut them into small pieces and threw them into a pot with some water and lemon juice. I boiled them until I could mash them pretty well (I like some chunkiness too), added about 2/3 c of sugar, ground cinnamon and 5 cinnamon sticks (just because I have them! :)


I can't endorse the way I can most stuff because I don't want to be sued. I don't hot water bath jars, I hot pack it. The lady that taught me used this method for many, many years and only had one or two bad jars of anything. She said she always smells the jar when she opens it and checks for mold. Certain things you cannot can this way (low acids, like green beans, which require pressure cooking, which is why I freeze those). If you're interested, here's how I can, but you can't sue me if anything happens because I'm warning you up front.

To "hot pack" you need to heat your jars in the oven at 212 degrees, boil your "stuff" (applesauce in this case) and boil your lids in a small pot of water. When your "stuff" is ready, take a jar out at a time, pour the hot "stuff" in, wipe off the rim with a clean rag, put a clean lid on the jar with tongs and screw a band on tightly. You should hear a "pop" sound eventually when it seals. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SEALS. If something doesn't seal, you can try again (with things like applesauce) or put it in the refrigerator or freezer and use accordingly. I leave the bands on, just in case. Amazing. For all that work I only got 2 1/2 quarts of applesauce. :P

Now I have to do the rest of them. Guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow. Not a very productive day in the kitchen for me. How about you?