Recipe Den Newsletter           
 

Volume 10

     Hello everyone, hope you are having a wonderful week. A big thank you to Claudie of Claudie's Diapers for letting me know my Yahoo group link was wrong.

    

     I made a Yahoo group just for The Recipe Den I hope you will join. There will be more recipes, and tips plus chat and links to exchange http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
recipeden/?yguid=118969826

     I am always looking for tips, tricks and recipes. Let me know if you would like to contribute, I will give you credit for any thing you submit for the newsletter. recipeden@recipeden.com

      I decided this week to post an article I found that gave me some food for thought instead of food tips this week.

Cutting Food Costs: Saving Time vs. Money
by Rachel Paxton - rachel@creativehomemaking.com
When I first started consciously cutting back on my household expenses, reducing my grocery bill was one of my highest priorities. After I got married and started juggling my career, my marriage, and the responsibilities of being a parent, however, I had to rethink some of my ways of doing things.

You may think that if you make everything from scratch that you will save a lot of money at the grocery store every month. In a lot of cases, this may be true. When you prepare your own meals you will often see an immediate cost savings per portion, and perhaps an overall increase in nutritional value as an added bonus. So what if you don't have the time to cook?

That's a good question, and one that cannot easily be answered. If you only buy prepackaged foods to save you time in the kitchen you're definitely going to end up spending more money than necessary. I would suggest that you might be able to find a happy medium.

Every week I think to myself that it would sure be nice to make some homemade cookies for my daughter to have for snacks during the next week. About once every 2 months or so I might actually make them, but most of the time I choose not to because it would take up a Sunday afternoon that I'd like to use to do other things. Would it save me money to make the cookies myself? Sure, if the alternative would be to buy a $4 package of Oreos. However, when Oreos go on sale for $1.99 or less a package, I'll stock up on a few and know that my money was wisely spent, while also freeing up my time for other things. Better yet, once a month or so we might go to Wal-Mart and stock up on Little Debbie snacks that average about $1 a box. You could hardly make a batch of cookies for $1. Now don't get me wrong, I love to bake and enjoy a homemade cookie as much as anyone else. It's just not always the best use of my time and/or money.

Recently my mother-in-law and I were discussing the price of chili. We had found some on sale for .99 a can and thought that was a pretty good deal. For that price I probably wouldn't take the time to make it. The regular price was $1.30 - $1.50 a can, and I just couldn't justify paying that much for it. I'd just do without or make a pot of chili myself and freeze some for later. My husband's aunt overheard our conversation and commented that she had bought a case of chili on sale for .59 a can! I sure wouldn't have passed that deal up.

You just have to watch prices on your favorite items and purchase them when they go on sale. You have to be somewhat flexible, however, and be willing to purchase alternate items or do more cooking when prices are high.

It's all a matter of priorities. If you have the time and enjoy spending time in the kitchen, then by all means cook from scratch whenever you can. I sure do. On the other hand, if you have days like me where you come home from a long day at work wondering what to fix quick for dinner, you might consider balancing the amount you're spending on groceries with the time you will save yourself in the kitchen by stocking up on a few convenience items, like Tuna Helper or prepared spaghetti sauce. I've found that I'm saving even more money than ever before by buying these convenience foods when on they're on sale, while also making things from scratch when I have the time. Just keep your options open and you will find what works best for you.

I get a lot of these recipes from the internet. If you see one that is yours please let me know I will be happy to give you  credit.

A special thanks to those who submitted new recipes.

Crockpot Recipe-Easy Peach Cobbler

1/2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cups light brown sugar
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups oats
2 pounds fresh or canned peaches, sliced
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 cup softened butter or margarine

Directions:

Place peaches in crock pot. Combine oats, flour, sugar, and spices.
Add butter and stir until crumbly. Pour mixture over peaches. Cook on low 3 hours.
Wonderful and easy!

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 C. Cheddar cheese
2 T. margarine
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 C. sour cream
1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chilies
8 chicken breast halves, cooked and quartered
12 corn tortillas

Recipe Info
Category : Casserole
Rating : 0
Contributor : wildfire_star

Directions:

Sauté onion in margarine in large skillet. Stir in soups, sour cream, green chilies and chicken; set aside.

Spray a 9 x 13-inch casserole with cooking spray. Layer 1/2 of broken tortillas, chicken mixture and cheese; repeat layers.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

By Jen Geib          March 24, 2003

Pet Food

SAUTÉED LIVER

Heat 1 teaspoon corn oil in a pan.

Add 1/4 pound beef liver and fry on both sides until cooked but not dry inside.

Add 1/2 cup water to the pan and mix it up with all the brown bits.

For dogs, cut the liver into pieces and serve; for cats, grind the liver in a blender, using the pan juices.

Are you looking for a unique heirloom gift and your family has some recipes from generations that are still in the family but on a piece of torn paper? Check out Family Treasured Recipe Frames at Christina Marie's www.christinamaries.com for a lasting family gift for years to come!

Garlicky Farmer's Cheese with Walnuts

1 cup Cheese -- farmer
3 tablespoons Walnuts -- chopped fine
1/4 cup Yogurt -- low-fat
1 tablespoon Dill -- chopped fine
1 tablespoon Parsley -- chopped fine
1 Garlic clove -- minced
1/8 teaspoon Salt
Lettuce -- Boston
1/4 cup Walnuts -- chopped coarsely
Pita -- toasted triangles

Process the farmer's cheese, finely chopped walnuts, and yogurt in a food processor until smooth.

Transfer the cheese to a bowl and mix with herbs, garlic, and salt. Shape into a ball, cover, and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Line a small serving platter with several lettuce leaves and carefully transfer the cheese ball to the platter. Press the coarsely chopped walnuts into the ball so they more or less cover it. Serve with the toasted pita triangles.

[ Per serving (excluding pita triangles): 130 calories, 7 g. protein, 2.7 g.
carbohydrates, 10 g. fat, 15.8 mg. cholesterol, 279 mg. sodium. Calories from
fat:

Roasted Red Bell Pepper Dressing




INGREDIENTS
1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup nonfat yogurt
1 teaspoon salt


INSTRUCTIONS
Pulse ingredients in a blender 5 to 6 times or until smooth.

Cucumber Salad With Roasted Red Bell Pepper Dressing: Combine gourmet salad greens, diced cucumbers, and sliced red onion; serve with Roasted Red Bell Pepper Dressing.

YIELD: Makes about 2 cups
PREPARATION TIME: 5 min.

Crockpot Recipe-Chinese Beef and Pea Pods


1/4 cup soy sauce
1 package frozen Chinese pea pods - (7 oz) -- partially thawed
1 small can bean sprouts -- drained
1 can beef consommé soup
1 small can bamboo shoots -- drained
1 pound family steak - (to 1 1/2 lbs) -- thinly sliced (works well to freeze it and then cut while partially thawed)
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 bunch green onions - (about 8)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 can sliced water chestnuts -- drained

Recipe Info
Category : Crockpot
Rating : 0
Contributor : wildfire_star
Print Recipe



Directions:

Combine steak in crock pot with consommé, soy sauce, ginger and onion. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours.

 

Turn control to HIGH. Stir in cornstarch that has been dissolved in the 2 tablespoons cold water. Cook on high for 15 minutes or until thickened. During last 5 minutes of cooking, add water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and pea pods. Serve over hot rice.

This recipe yields 6 servings.