We have a food budget each week, and I am pretty good at sticking to it. We pay for groceries in cash so that we don't go over, and we know how much is left after shopping. If there is money remaining at the end of the week (doubtful), it is added to the next week (those are the weeks that shrimp dishes make it on the menu plan!). This week, I had some left over which was a surprise. I decided to see if I could just use that to cover the groceries. I have stand up freezer in the garage so I knew we'd have plenty of options for protein in the dishes, and the pantry was decently stocked. So, I picked up bread, lunch meat, apples, milk and so forth, and then have been cooking with everything else that was on hand.
My biggest concern that I had was that I might not be able to try out any new dishes this week! But, I had some leftover sour cream and a handful of blueberries in the fridge (left from the blueberry muffin experiment of last week), so I started to research waffle recipes. My kids love blueberry Eggo waffles, so I thought maybe I could create something similar. I didn't find one that exactly fit the ingredients I had on hand, so I combined a few recipes I came across and I must say, the waffles were quite delicious! After making the batter I split it up so that I could mix in the small amount of blueberries I had in the fridge. Once the blueberry waffles batter was used, I took another small amount of the batter and mixed in handful of chocolate chips (Hannah will love these!). In the end I made 2 blueberry waffles, 2 chocolate chip waffles and 4 regular waffles. Waffles reheat beautifully in the toaster oven, so I just threw them in the fridge. If you make a bigger batch, they also freeze wonderfully well!
Because of the limited budget, we had some staple dinners this week - tacos, spaghetti with some of my meat sauce from the freezer, a slow cooker meal we simply call "http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifcrock beef". It got so chilly this week that it seemed completely appropriate to cook what is traditionally an autumn or winter meal. Originally from my mother, she called this meal crock pot beef, but I wrote it down quickly when she gave it to me over the phone, and ever since then (for years and years - we've had this recipe since I was first married), we've called it crock beef. My kids think it is delicious, and you could even serve it to guests for Sunday dinner. It doubles well, and reheats for great leftovers!
New Recipes
Waffles
Tried and True
Crock Beef
Friday, September 16, 2011
Waffles
Plain Waffles
Chocolate Chip Waffles
Blueberry Waffles
Ingredients
* 1 cup milk (whole, skim, whatever you have on hand)
* 1 cup sour cream
* 2 egg whites
* 2 egg yolks
* 1 tbsp granulated sugar
* 3 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cool
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 tsp baking soda
* Pinch kosher salt
* Handful of blueberries, chocolate chips, or whatever you heart desires (optional)
Directions
1. Heat your waffle iron. Grease just before adding the batter to the iron.
2. Beat the egg whites for about 2 minutes until stiff peaks form.
3. Combine the wet ingredients (milk, sour cream, egg yolks, butter, vanilla and sugar)
4. Whisk the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix gently. Fold in the egg whites.
6. If you are adding a "mix-in", fold these in after folding in the egg whites.
7. Spoon onto your hot, greased waffle iron. Cook as directed by your waffle iron.
8. Enjoy!
Notes
I had sour cream on hand, and I used whole milk because that was the type of milk on the fridge. Folding in the egg whites really lightens the batter.
Chocolate Chip Waffles
Blueberry Waffles
Ingredients
* 1 cup milk (whole, skim, whatever you have on hand)
* 1 cup sour cream
* 2 egg whites
* 2 egg yolks
* 1 tbsp granulated sugar
* 3 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cool
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 1 tsp baking soda
* Pinch kosher salt
* Handful of blueberries, chocolate chips, or whatever you heart desires (optional)
Directions
1. Heat your waffle iron. Grease just before adding the batter to the iron.
2. Beat the egg whites for about 2 minutes until stiff peaks form.
3. Combine the wet ingredients (milk, sour cream, egg yolks, butter, vanilla and sugar)
4. Whisk the dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt).
5. Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix gently. Fold in the egg whites.
6. If you are adding a "mix-in", fold these in after folding in the egg whites.
7. Spoon onto your hot, greased waffle iron. Cook as directed by your waffle iron.
8. Enjoy!
Notes
I had sour cream on hand, and I used whole milk because that was the type of milk on the fridge. Folding in the egg whites really lightens the batter.
Crock Beef
Ingredients
* 2 lbs stew meat, cut into one or 2 bite size pieces
* 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
* 2 packets Lipton dry onion soup mix
* 2 cans mushrooms, undrained
* 4-6 ounces red wine
Directions
Mix it all together in your crock put (add the meat last, but then mix that in as well). Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serve over egg noodles or with mashed potatoes.
Notes
If you want to use one pound of meat, I would recommend using 2 cans of mushroom soup, one packet of the dry soup mix and 4 ounces of red wine. This way you will ensure you still have plenty of sauce and the meat doesn't get dried out.
* 2 lbs stew meat, cut into one or 2 bite size pieces
* 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
* 2 packets Lipton dry onion soup mix
* 2 cans mushrooms, undrained
* 4-6 ounces red wine
Directions
Mix it all together in your crock put (add the meat last, but then mix that in as well). Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Serve over egg noodles or with mashed potatoes.
Notes
If you want to use one pound of meat, I would recommend using 2 cans of mushroom soup, one packet of the dry soup mix and 4 ounces of red wine. This way you will ensure you still have plenty of sauce and the meat doesn't get dried out.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The recipe archive has finally arrived!
I have finally finished the recipe archive! On the right hand side of the home page is a link to the list of all the recipes I've posted over the last few months - there are already almost 60! When in the archive, click on the recipe title and it will take you to the post with the recipe.
This should make it easier to find the recipes you want to try (or make again!)! Enjoy!
This should make it easier to find the recipes you want to try (or make again!)! Enjoy!
Friday, September 9, 2011
September 9, 2011
Another week has come and gone; blueberries are in season, so we tried 2 different blueberry muffin recipes. Both were pretty good, but neither earned "keeper" status. Each was close, so I think I will keep working on it, but for now, don't have a great recipe to share. Maybe the ingredients from this one, and the technique from that one...you get the idea. What I do have this week are french toast and chicken recipes to share.
That's right! You may recall that we've tried 2 different overnight french toast recipes this past year, and didn't like either. It turns out my family just loves french toast made on the spot and not as a casserole. So, I found a great recipe which was a step up from the usual way I made it in the past, and bam! We loved it! It isn't hard, so you should give it a go. I loved it using raisin bread, the kids loved it with whole wheat. If you have left over french bread, try it with that. The recipe will work with whatever kind of bread you love or have on hand.
The other recipe we LOVED this week was Garlic Lime chicken. It was quick and easy to make, and was delicious! However, as we were eating it, my husband asked me again what the name of the recipe was, and he commented that he didn't really taste the garlic or the lime as the primary flavors. So, we renamed it Juicy Weeknight Skillet Chicken, but you can call it whatever you'd like. I did taste the lime more than anything, but hey, it was a "keeper" no matter what we call it. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it, too!
New Recipes
Juicy Weeknight Skillet Chicken
French Toast
That's right! You may recall that we've tried 2 different overnight french toast recipes this past year, and didn't like either. It turns out my family just loves french toast made on the spot and not as a casserole. So, I found a great recipe which was a step up from the usual way I made it in the past, and bam! We loved it! It isn't hard, so you should give it a go. I loved it using raisin bread, the kids loved it with whole wheat. If you have left over french bread, try it with that. The recipe will work with whatever kind of bread you love or have on hand.
The other recipe we LOVED this week was Garlic Lime chicken. It was quick and easy to make, and was delicious! However, as we were eating it, my husband asked me again what the name of the recipe was, and he commented that he didn't really taste the garlic or the lime as the primary flavors. So, we renamed it Juicy Weeknight Skillet Chicken, but you can call it whatever you'd like. I did taste the lime more than anything, but hey, it was a "keeper" no matter what we call it. I hope you give it a try and enjoy it, too!
New Recipes
Juicy Weeknight Skillet Chicken
French Toast
Juicy Weeknight Skillet Chicken (aka, Garlic Lime Chicken)
Ingredients
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 tsp pepper
* 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
* 1/4 tsp paprika
* 1 tsp garlic powder
* 1/2 tsp onion powder
* 1/2 tsp thyme
* 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
* 2 tbsp butter
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 1/2 cup chicken broth
* Juice of 2 limes
Directions
1. In a bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high heat.
3. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side.
4. Remove the chicken and keep warm.
5. Turn down the heat, add the lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Either add the chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve, or pour the sauce over the reserved chicken.
Notes
We loved this recipe, and the original recipe name is Garlic Lime Chicken. The flavor was wonderful, however, we struggled to say that the dominant taste was garlic or lime. Everyone agreed it was a keeper, so we renamed it Juicy Weeknight Skillet Chicken. You can call it whatever you want!
French Toast
Ingredients
* 8-12 slices brioche or high-quality white, wheat, raisin sandwich bread (whatever you have on hand or want to use)
* 2 tbsp butter, melted
* 1 cup milk
* 1 large egg
* 2 tbsp sugar
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 3/4 tsp cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 200-F degrees and place a rack in the middle position. Place bread in a single layer on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Bake until the bread is slightly dry, approximately 10 - 15 minutes.
2. While bread is drying, whisk together the milk, egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
3. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk it into the milk mixture. Whisk in the flour slowly and until batter is smooth. Pour batter into shallow dish (I use a Pyrex pie pan).
4. Soak pieces of bread in the batter for about 30 seconds per side. Take bread out of batter and allow excess to drip back into dish.
5. Cook on a hot griddle coated with cooking spray. Cook until French toast is golden brown on both sides, about 2-1/2 minutes per side.
6. Serve with syrup or butter and sugar. Enjoy!
Notes (September 2011)
We use this recipe with whatever bread we have on hand. Drying out the bread in the oven seems like a silly step, but you can do it while you are pulling together the batter, and it really does make a nice difference in the quality of the French toast you serve. It won't take your oven long to come up to 200, and then you can use your warmed oven to hold the finished French toast until you are ready to serve it.
Update March 2020: Our favorite bread to use is day old brioche from the quick sale rack at the grocery store. Brioche is perfect, but you want it to be sightly dry, so getting it 50% off because it was made yesterday is perfect! If they have it but I don't want to make French Toast that week, I still buy it, slice it at home and freeze it. Then I can pull it out the night before I want to make it!
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