She was one of my favorites... she was the epitome of class, style, and enthusiasm... and she was a dachshund lover, too!! She will be greatly missed.
RIP Dachshund Lover Elizabeth Taylor
Budget Cooking
As many of you know I am definitely a girl with budgeting in mind! I love to save pennies whenever and however I can. And, even in my weekly planning of food I will plan and carry out as best I can to make my small amount of cash go its farthest.
I am not a huge coupon shopper. The only places that will use computer printed coupons is Meijer and Kroger, and oftentimes the savings is not worth the travel to those stores. So I get around my budget in other ways.
When I do go shopping with coupons I get them from Coupons.com. They have coupons for those major chain, major company items which I cannot do without.
Instead of purchasing ready made mixes, I will make mine from scratch using recipes I have found at Mom Advise. ie why buy Bisquick when you can make it cheaper at home? Another great site for make at home items is Budget101.com.
Sign-up for Kraft First Taste, which will allow you to try never been seen before Kraft items, often free or with a huge discount.
But my number one thing is to stock my pantry with basic staples which will help you down the road when shopping. I have all of the things that Paula Deen says are 'necessities' and a few more of my own to suit my family's taste buds. Then when you go shopping, you really only need to pick up any special meats or veggies and any pantry basic on which you are running low.
Another great thing is to shop at Aldi. Aldi is an off shoot, with low prices, of Trade Joe's. Their foods are fantastic, and they offer a Double Guarantee... they will replace the product AND refund your money. I have never taken them up on this, as everything I have purchased is wonderful! Just take your own bags and load up on the savings!
These are my means of saving money each week...
This is my way of stretching my food dollar...
Cinnamon Praline Bread Pudding
I am trying to clean out my pantry... use up all the stuff that has been accumulating and not being used. I have no clue where I got a can of evaporated milk... it must have been accidentally picked up instead of sweetened condensed... But nonetheless here I was with a can of evaporated milk and nothing to do with it... Until -grin- inspiration...
Bread Pudding!!
Ok, so I made it for breakfast, so you could say its a glorified baked french toast, but humor moi!
You have to make... so easy... amazingly good!
Cinnamon Praline Bread Pudding
* Cooking Spray
* 5 slices toasted bread
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/3 cup raisins
* 2 large eggs
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar
* Dash of salt
* 1 cup evaporated milk
* 1 cup boiling water
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/3 cup light brown sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 3 tablespoons butter, softened
Heat oven to 350°F. Coat an 11x7 baking dish with no-stick cooking spray.
Spread toasted bread with butter and cut into quarters. Place buttered side up in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle chopped pecans over toast.
Whisk eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, evaporated milk, boiling water and vanilla. Pour over toast and let stand 10 minutes, occasionally pressing bread into liquid with back of spoon.
Combine 4 teaspoons sugar, butter and cinnamon with a fork. Crumble butter mixture over top.
Bake 35 minutes or until knife inserted near edge comes out clean.
You can serve for breakfast with or without syrup.
You could substitute raisins or currents for pecans.
You could make the whole pan for yourself and not share any of it... I won't tell!
Cheesy Hash Brown Chili Bake
Cheesy Hash Brown Chili
* 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
* 1 onion, chopped finely
* 2 tablespoons chili powder
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 1/4 cup tomato paste
* 1 pound ground beef
* Salt and pepper
* 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
* 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
* 1 1-pound bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
* 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat, for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
Add the beans and the tomatoes with their juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Transfer to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and cheese. Scatter the potato mixture over the chili. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the chili is bubbling, about 35 minutes.
Apple Strudel from Phyllo Dough
I was preparing for my picnic with the pups and peeps, and needed a dessert that isn't really a dessert as we have given up dessert for lent! So strudel isn't my fav thing to make, but I had mistakenly picked up Phyllo dough instead of Puff Pastry, so strudel was what I could come up with to fit the 'no dessert' and 'not go out to buy anything' plans I had made!
This was a little bit of work, but it was so tasty that it made me forget all about the work!
Apple Strudel from Phyllo Dough
* 6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 6 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
* Vegetable-oil cooking spray
* 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
**Most important thing, have all your ingredients ready and handy as Phyllo will dry out quickly.
Heat oven to 350°F. In a pan over medium heat, cook apples with dried cranberries, sugar and cinnamon until tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool, reserving liquid for optional sauce. Layer 2 phyllo sheets on top of each other. Coat top of phyllo layer with cooking spray; sprinkle with 1/3 of cookie crumbs. Layer 2 more sheets of phyllo on top, coat with cooking spray, then crumbs; repeat once more. Spread apple mixture on top; roll up from the shorter end. Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place strudel on sheet and bake 25 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool.
Throw Together Asian Salad
I was planning a picnic dinner at the local arboretum, and really didn't wish to go out to purchase anything. I looked at my fridge and pantry, and this was what I came up with to go along with grilled hamburgers. It was a huge hit!
Throw Together Asian Salad
Dressing
* 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
* 1/2 teaspoon bottled ground fresh ginger
* 1 teaspoons garlic powder
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 tablespoons sesame oil
* 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
* 4 tablespoons fresh orange juice
* 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salad
* 1/2 cup thinly sliced seeded peeled cucumber
* 1/4 cup chopped red onion
* 1/2 cup matchstick-cut carrots
* 2 tablespoons flaked coconut
* 1/4 cup chopped pecans
* 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
* 1 orange, cut into segments
* 2 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti noodles
Mix the dressing together in a bowl and combine with the salad. Refrigerate until serving.
Maple Balsamic Grilled Salmon ~ Shelle's Way
I could have this dish every single night. It's not only simple, but is so flavorful.
Maple Balsamic Grilled Salmon
* 1/4 cup maple syrup
* 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 cup orange juice
* 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 tablespoon oil
* 4 salmon fillets
Combine all the ingredients, except the salmon, in a resealable kitchen bag. Seal and shake gently to mix. Add the salmon and refrigerate several hours to allow flavors to blend.
Preheat grill to medium heat. Grill 4 minutes on each side or until salmon flakes easily with fork brushing frequently with the syrup mixture.
