Golden Chicken & Autumn Vegetables

This is a one dish meal that tastes like you've slaved over it. You won't be slaving over anything - cooking, dishes, or clean up - because you'll eat it all.


4 chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds)
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 T chopped fresh parsley (or 1 t dried)
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1/4 t dried thyme leaves, crushed
2 large sweet potatoes, or regular potatoes, cut up
2 cups fresh or frozen whole greens beans

Cook chicken in nonstick skillet until browned. Add broth, parsley, garlic powder, rosemary, thyme, potatoes and beans. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 20 minutes or until done. Serves 4.

TOTAL COST: $4.85
Chicken: $3.50 (Cashwise)
Broth: $.05 (homemade)
Potatoes $.30 (Cashwise)
Beans $1.00 (Sunmart)
Spices from pantry

Impossible Pie

My friend Jen over at Party in the Pantry made this wonderful creation for me on our weekend away last year and it was marvelous. I had a craving for it last week, made it as a late night snack, then had it for breakfast, and lunch the next day.

My in-laws are in town for the weekend and we'll be enjoying this beauty for breakfast.


You can find the recipe here. You may say that you don't like coconut. Well, as Jen would say - you've never had good coconut. Most of our experience comes from the plasticy sweetened stuff bagged up in the baking isle. Well, for this lovely (and anything else you want coconut for) check your organic/health food/bulk area for this finely shredded non-sweetened variety. It will change your view on coconut forever.

Oh, this may be the easiest recipe you've ever made... Oh, and it's about as frugal as it gets.

TOTAL COSTS: $1.35
Milk: $.20 (Cashwise)
Butter: $.20 (Sunmart)
Eggs: $.20 (Sunmart)
Sugar $.20 (Cashwise)
Flour $.05 (Sunmart)
Coconut $.50 (Cashwise)

I think this with fresh berries on top, but it's incredible all on it's own.

Bacon Basted Turkey

At Thanksgiving I started looking for new way to cook a turkey, and add a bit more flavor as well. I've added a mixture of butter & herbs under the skin, stuffing the cavity full of aromatics (herbs, spices, apples, oranges, lemons, etc), and spreading mixtures on top of the skin. I've even cooked a turkey upside down.

I wanted something to add a bit of flavor as well - so I layered strips of bacon between the surface of the turkey and the skin. I took a spoon and slid it in to break any connections and slipped in the bacon. Bacon makes everything better right???

It did, other than my meat thermometer wasn't working right and we ended up over cooking the bird. Somethings even bacon can't help. It was a tasty addition and I'll try it again.

Total Costs:
Turkey + $2.00 (Aldi)

Mini Grasshopper Ice Cream Pie with Hot Fudge

Portion control and desserts - that's a hard one. If there is a pie, cake, or large dessert to be eaten, than it's easy to overeat. Put them into a personal size serving makes things easier. The muffin tin is again my friend. This little mint treat is easy to make and then keep frozen until the mood strikes you. Great for parties because they are pre-made and ready to serve.
25 Chocolate wafer cookies, filling removed
1/3 c Butter, melted
1 qt Mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened
Hot fudge (recipe following)

HOT FUDGE (or store bought)
1 cup Butter
1/2 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups White sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) Can evaporated milk
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Combine butter, cocoa, sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and boil for 8 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Carefully pour hot mixture into a blender and blend for 2 to 4 minutes. Serve immediately. Store in refrigerator.

Crush chocolate cookie wafers until crumbs, add melted butter and stir until incorporated.
Gently press 1 tsp of cookie mixture into a cupcake liner in a muffin pan. Place a scoop of ice cream in each cup and press in until cup is full.

Place ice cream cakes (still in muffin pan) in freezer until firm. Allow ice cream cakes to thaw for a few minutes before serving. Top with hot fudge. The recipe makes tons more fudge than you'll need. Store in a airtight container and refrigerate.

Makes 18-24 Servings

Total Costs: $6.40**
Ice Cream:$2.50 (Cashwise)
Cookies: $.50 (Dollar Tree)
Butter:$.40 (Sunmart)
Fudge: $3.00 (Various or store bought)

** That may not sound frugal, but that's 18-24 servings depending on how big you make them. That's a lot of dessert. A family of 4 can eat one a day for 5-6 days or serve a big crowd.

Grilled Pork Chops

Spring weather just drives me to the grill. In fact we grill year round because we love the flavor so much. In our recent move, our 10-year-old gas grill did not make it. But that's okay because it was a pain to have to use pliers to turn the gas knobs (broken) and tongs or pliers to open the top (the handle broke off). It has done a serious tour of duty in harsh MI conditions.

So we are on the hunt to buy a grill now that the 3-4' drifts have melted away. Cannot wait to get one set up because I can just taste these beauties.

Simple marinades for pork that make the grill flavor even better. These proportions are for about 4-5 large chops. I rarely measure marinades, so these are more estimates These marinades are nice for a "fresh" taste. Can use them for chicken and some for steak as well.

• Lightly coat with Soy Sauce & Lawry's Season Salt (can just do on grill do not have to marinade ahead of time
  
• 1/2 c Soy Sauce, 1 T brown Sugar, 1/4 t Cumin, 1/8 t Paprika
• 1/2 c Soy Sauce, juice of 1/2 lime, 1 T Olive Oil, 1 t Sugar, 1/8 t Pepper
• 1/2 c Soy Sauce, 1/8 t Chili Powder, 1/8 t Cumin, 1/4 t Garlic Powder, 1 t Honey
• 2 T Olive Oil, 1/2 t dried Thyme, 1/4 t Garlic Powder, 1 t Salt, 1 t dried Oregano
• 1 t fresh chopped Cilantro, 2 T Olive Oil, juice of 1/2 lime, 1 t Salt, 1 t Sugar

TOTAL COSTS: $4.00
Pork: $4.00 (Sunmart or less on full loin chopped up)
Most of these are items you already have on hand in your cupboards. So in my book, I count the marinades as free.

Couple of grilling tips: Make sure that your grill is good and hot before putting the meat on. Rub a bit of oil on the grates (use a basting brush or a coated paper towel) to keep it from sticking if there isn't any in the marinade. Use the reserve marinade to baste while cooking. When done cooking, allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to keep juices locked in.

Bring on Spring.

Good Friday, Great Sunday -- Happy Easter

Let me wish you and your family a Happy Easter. It's a happy one in our home even though we are separated from family and friends by many miles because it is about so much more than a party. Yes we will miss our church family and celebrating with loved ones... but we have so much to be grateful for.

Today we remember what we have in life, everything because Jesus lives. This song pretty much sums it up for me.



Happy Easter.

Beef Stroganoff

Simple easy food. Total comfort on chilly night. This is NOT an April Fools joke. We love this one. It's a set it and forget it kind of meal. I often do and double batch and freeze the leftovers as a second meal.

1-2 lbs of Steak, cubed (tenderized if desired)
1 pkg Onion soup mix
1 can Cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c Beef stock
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1 c Mushrooms, sliced (optional)
3/4 c Sour cream

In a slow cooker, stir together steak (I use round or whatever is the in the reduced for quick sale case), soup, stock, mushrooms, soup mix, and Worcestershire sauce together. Set on high 4 hours or low 8 hours and cover. Stir occasionally.

When meat is tender, add sour cream and let heat through another 10 minutes. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Total Costs: $5.55
Steak: $4.00 (Sunmart)
Soup: $.50 (Cashwise)
Stock: $.05 (Sunmart bouillon cubes)
Sour Cream: $.50 (Cashwise)
Mix: $.50 (Cashwise)