Brandon and I are trying to save money and my personal area of weakness (as you can probably guess) is baking/food. It is almost like I walk into the grocery store with 5 things on my list, and it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to walk out with anything less than 10 things... okay let's be real, more like 20 things. I usually shop at HyVee since it is close, I started working there, and I think they have a lot of good products and selection. It seems like there is always some kind of good deal going on as well, and I am a huge fan of their Fuel Buster program. Pretty much you sign up for this card that they swipe on your checkout and it keeps track of the money you earn. For instance I bought a certain pizza last week and since I bought it, I get 10 cents off per gallon of gas the next time I fill up my car. The money keeps accumulating until you use it (or it expires after a month if you don't use it). The last time I filled up, I ended up paying $2.29 per gallon for gas! But anyway... I am getting off track of my original point. I see good deals, fuel savers, food that just looks good that I don't really "need", and I know I buy way too many groceries for just the 2 of us. Granted most of the things I buy that we don't need at the moment are on a good sale. I simply put it in the freezer, or it has a long shelf life or something like that so we can use it later. Butter was an example... usually it is somewhere around $3-$3.50 for a pound, but one particular day it was $1 a pound. The ad said "limit 2 please", so Brandon and I paid separately and we each got our limit. (We may or may not have stopped back later in the day and do the same thing...) I know we didn't really need 8 pounds of butter, but it keeps well in the freezer and I know we would use it eventually, so why not get it when it is on sale? Sorry, I'm rambling again, I will stay on topic now...
So one strategy we are trying for saving money when it comes to groceries is planning out a menu for the week based on the ads/sales, figuring out the ingredients for the recipes, and then go shopping and ONLY GET WHAT IS ON THE LIST. (I realize this it NOT rocket science and a pretty basic concept, but it is hard for me). I think what helps the most is planning what we are going to have for lunch/supper each day so I don't have to come up with something last minute.
So to finally get to the title of this blog, I bought a rotisserie chicken and will be using it for a few meals. Tonight I cleaned it all up, took the skin off, and got all the good meat off the bones and chopped it up. I ended up with a pretty big bowl full too. Tonight I used some of the meat to make chicken quesadillas. Tomorrow I was planning BBQ chicken sandwiches, and the next meal could be chicken salad sandwiches. When I stop and think about it, by planning out three meals from this one chicken (that was $4.99) it is pretty darn good.
I will have to let you know how the rest of my menu planning goes :)
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Valentine's Baking
Since I had to stay up all night (in transition to work night shifts the next two nights) I decided to do a little baking for Valentine's Day.
My first project was to make something that I could take to work. I wanted it to be something to do with Valentines day without being all pink and having hearts all over. So... my inspiration was a chocolate covered strawberry. I started by mixing up a chocolate cake batter in one bowl, and then a strawberry cake batter in another bowl. I then used 3, 9-inch round pans and poured the batter in alternating rings so when the layers are stacked together it will look like a checkerboard pattern. It sounds confusing and I wish I would have remembered to take a picture, but really I just used a plastic separator/divider to create the circles of batter, and lifted them out once all the rings were filled. The chocolate recipe was just a basic one I have done before... I am pretty sure I have already posted at one time. The strawberry cake was a new recipe which I can say I really do like (I will post recipe later). Once I had the three layers assembled, I frosted them in chocolate frosting, and melted chocolate chips and butter to make a chocolate glaze that I poured over top (and later became a hard shell). I then made some chocolate covered strawberries, placed them on top, and sifted a touch of powdered sugar over the whole thing. Here is the end result:
The next cake that I tackled was a red velvet cake for Brandon to take to work. I have never made a red velvet cake before, so this was a new recipe too (obviously). It looked good, but I didn't try any of it, so hopefully it turned out ok. It felt a little dense, but oh well. The recipe for the frosting however, is probably my new favorite icing and I will definitely be using it again. It started with a milk and flour base that is heated and thickened on the stove top, and then combined with creamed butter, sugar, and vanilla. I have never made a frosting that way (and yes, it takes a little more time) but I think it tastes so much better than the normal powdered sugar/milk/butter combo that I knew as a kid. I will post the recipes for both of the cakes and frosting another day, but I just wanted to show off my pictures :) Hopefully I will get to take a pic of the insides of the cakes to se the layers... we shall see
I did have some leftover batter, so I made a few cupcakes. I frosted them with a little of the leftover frosting, put red tinted sugar on top, and then made piped/hardened chocolate hearts to decorate as well.
My first project was to make something that I could take to work. I wanted it to be something to do with Valentines day without being all pink and having hearts all over. So... my inspiration was a chocolate covered strawberry. I started by mixing up a chocolate cake batter in one bowl, and then a strawberry cake batter in another bowl. I then used 3, 9-inch round pans and poured the batter in alternating rings so when the layers are stacked together it will look like a checkerboard pattern. It sounds confusing and I wish I would have remembered to take a picture, but really I just used a plastic separator/divider to create the circles of batter, and lifted them out once all the rings were filled. The chocolate recipe was just a basic one I have done before... I am pretty sure I have already posted at one time. The strawberry cake was a new recipe which I can say I really do like (I will post recipe later). Once I had the three layers assembled, I frosted them in chocolate frosting, and melted chocolate chips and butter to make a chocolate glaze that I poured over top (and later became a hard shell). I then made some chocolate covered strawberries, placed them on top, and sifted a touch of powdered sugar over the whole thing. Here is the end result:
The next cake that I tackled was a red velvet cake for Brandon to take to work. I have never made a red velvet cake before, so this was a new recipe too (obviously). It looked good, but I didn't try any of it, so hopefully it turned out ok. It felt a little dense, but oh well. The recipe for the frosting however, is probably my new favorite icing and I will definitely be using it again. It started with a milk and flour base that is heated and thickened on the stove top, and then combined with creamed butter, sugar, and vanilla. I have never made a frosting that way (and yes, it takes a little more time) but I think it tastes so much better than the normal powdered sugar/milk/butter combo that I knew as a kid. I will post the recipes for both of the cakes and frosting another day, but I just wanted to show off my pictures :) Hopefully I will get to take a pic of the insides of the cakes to se the layers... we shall see
I did have some leftover batter, so I made a few cupcakes. I frosted them with a little of the leftover frosting, put red tinted sugar on top, and then made piped/hardened chocolate hearts to decorate as well.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Peanut Butter Crunch French Toast
1- Take 2 sliced of bread and spread peanut butter on each side, essentially makeing a peanut butter sandwich. Set asside
2- Next, crack a couple eggs in a shallow bowl and whisk. I like to add a touch of milk and cinnamon.
3- Take another bowl and crush up some type of "flaked" cereal. This can be something like Corn Flakes, Oat Bran Flakes, etc. I used a Whole Wheat Bran Flakes that we had on hand.
3- Dip the peanut butter sandwich in the egg mixture, making sure to coat all sides. Then dip the sandwich in the crushed up cereal to coat with the "crunchy topping".
4- Put sandwich in a pan on the stove over medium heat and cook until nice and golden brown (or done).
5- The peanut butter will be nice and melty, and the crushed cereal will make a nice crunchy texture. I put a small drizzle of maple syrup on as well and drink with a cold glass of milk. Yum!!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Brandon's Birthday Dinner
Once again for Brandon's birthday, I let him pick out anything for supper and I made it for him/us. On the menu was Cajun/chipotle pork loin chops, steamed green beans, Southern fried cabbage, and a roasted garlic dinner roll. For dessert was angel food cake with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
And now for the recipes....
Cajun/Chipotle Crusted Pork Lion Chop
INGREDIENTS:
2 butterfly pork loin chops
4 T brown sugar
2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp garlic powder
3 T Cajun seasoning
1 T ground chipotle chili pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1- Place all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and shake to coat meat. Let sit in bag for 20-30 minutes.
2- If seasoning is too thick, brush some off before cooking, otherwise the flavor can get a little overpowering.
3- Cook on grill, bake in over, or saute in skillet. (I did it in the skillet just because it was too cold to grill)
4- Let stand for 5 minutes to let meat "rest" before cutting.
Southern Fried Cabbage
INGREDIENTS:
4 strips of bacon
2 T vegetable or olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 head o f cabbage - chopped
1 heaping T minced garlic
1 onion - chopped
1 T sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1- heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until cripsy, and break into bite-sized chunks
2- Add cabbage, garlic, onion, and season with salt, pepper, and sugar.
3- Saute until veggies are tender.
Green Beans
I washed and cut the ends off some fresh green beans, then put them in a steamer bag in the microwave for about 6 minutes. Served with a little butter. Done :)
Angel Food Cake
I cheated on dessert because Brandon originally said he wanted to be healthy and not have anything... I couldn't NOT have something sweet, so I just bought an Angel Food cake from HyVee and sliced strawberries with it and topped with whipped cream.
PS- The roasted garlic dinner rolls were also bought from HyVee. They have an awesome selection of homemade Baking Stone breads in the bakery.
And now for the recipes....
Cajun/Chipotle Crusted Pork Lion Chop
INGREDIENTS:
2 butterfly pork loin chops
4 T brown sugar
2 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp garlic powder
3 T Cajun seasoning
1 T ground chipotle chili pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1- Place all ingredients in a large ziplock bag and shake to coat meat. Let sit in bag for 20-30 minutes.
2- If seasoning is too thick, brush some off before cooking, otherwise the flavor can get a little overpowering.
3- Cook on grill, bake in over, or saute in skillet. (I did it in the skillet just because it was too cold to grill)
4- Let stand for 5 minutes to let meat "rest" before cutting.
Southern Fried Cabbage
INGREDIENTS:
4 strips of bacon
2 T vegetable or olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 head o f cabbage - chopped
1 heaping T minced garlic
1 onion - chopped
1 T sugar
DIRECTIONS:
1- heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until cripsy, and break into bite-sized chunks
2- Add cabbage, garlic, onion, and season with salt, pepper, and sugar.
3- Saute until veggies are tender.
Green Beans
I washed and cut the ends off some fresh green beans, then put them in a steamer bag in the microwave for about 6 minutes. Served with a little butter. Done :)
Angel Food Cake
I cheated on dessert because Brandon originally said he wanted to be healthy and not have anything... I couldn't NOT have something sweet, so I just bought an Angel Food cake from HyVee and sliced strawberries with it and topped with whipped cream.
PS- The roasted garlic dinner rolls were also bought from HyVee. They have an awesome selection of homemade Baking Stone breads in the bakery.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Spinach Souffle
Tonight's supper was spinach souffle, I got this recipe from my good
friend Emily. The base recipe is below, and my notes/variations to
follow.
INGREDIENTS:
1 T olive oil
5 oz baby spinach leaves (about 8 loosely packed cups)
6 eggs
6 T flour
2 cups cottage cheese
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever kind you like)
2 T melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2- Grease a glass baking dish (I used a 8 in square Pyrex dish)
3- Heat oil in a large skillet and add spinach. Saute just long enough for spinach to wilt, about 20-30 seconds. Set aside.
4- Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl. Add flour one tablespoon at a time, mixing between each addition.
5- Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Add spinach.
6- Pour into baking dish and bake for 1 hour, or until set and lightly browned.
7- Makes about 8 servings, easy to double the recipe and then use a 9x13 pan.
**AMY'S NOTES**
**For the seasonings, the recipe just calls for salt and pepper. I like to add a lot more pepper than what the original calls for (more like 1 tsp). I also omit the salt and use 3/4 to 1 tsp garlic salt instead. I also sprinkle dill weed on top before baking (did not mix in).
**When wilting the spinach, I did it in batches since my saute pan wasn't the biggest. This prevents the leaves at the bottom from getting over cooked and the ones on top from being undercooked. By only putting a thin layer in the pan at a time, it makes the spinach easier to stir and cooks more evenly. It really doesn't take that long anyways!
**The thing that I love about this recipe is that it is great as is, but there are so many variations you could do also. It would be great adding some sauteed veggies like bell peppers, mushrooms, onions etc. I think it would also be good with a 1/2 pound of cooked sausage... or bacon (gasp!)
**My point being: you can do a lot of different things with this recipe... come to think of it, you can do a lot with most recipes! Maybe that is one reason I love about cooking... you can tweak, add, subtract, substitute, EXPERIMENT and make food they way you/your family likes it. Make it your own! Obviously some things are more exact and can't be changed too drastically (think baking... that is more of a science) but I believe there is always a LITTLE wiggle room with any recipe. Enjoy and happy cooking :)
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Steampot Supper
This last Sunday Brandon and I had a few of our good friends over and had a steampot supper (think like Joe's Crab Shack).
I did not use a recipe, nor have I ever done ANYTHING remotely like this before... so this was a huge experiment. I had looked up online how long to boil the meats, but other than that, it was just "dump and stir".
In the pot were 2 pounds of red potatoes, 2 large onions, 4 pounds of shrimp, a dozen baby ears of sweetcorn, 4 pounds of andouille sausage, and a whole bunch of crab (king and snow). For the liquid I used water, a couple cans of beer, and a TON of garlic and Old Bay seasoning. That is pretty much it.
Other side included whole wheat dinner rolls, southwest ranch coleslaw/salad, mixed seasoned veggies, and there were brownies for dessert. We also had fresh-cut lemons and little dishes of butter for everyone's enjoyment. Of course a few adult beverages were served as well. At first I had wanted to just line the table with a bunch of paper and pour everything in the middle and just have everybody dig in... but then with the different side dishes it was going to be too hard to do that. We did end up using plates and silverware (and bought some crab leg splitters from Joe's Crab Shack), but we still dumped all the crab in the middle of the table.
After supper, we played a board game that one of our friends brought over called Settlers of Catan. It took a little while to get used to, but once we got the hang of it, the game was SO much fun! I would say a very short description would be a strategy game where you collect various cards and trade them in to build roads and towns to get points and then win the game. Kind of like a combination of Pit and Monopoly.... maybe... sounds strange but it was fun :)
All in all, the night went very well and everything turned out SO yummy! I definitely want to do this again sometime. Thanks to those that came and made the night so much fun!!
I did not use a recipe, nor have I ever done ANYTHING remotely like this before... so this was a huge experiment. I had looked up online how long to boil the meats, but other than that, it was just "dump and stir".
In the pot were 2 pounds of red potatoes, 2 large onions, 4 pounds of shrimp, a dozen baby ears of sweetcorn, 4 pounds of andouille sausage, and a whole bunch of crab (king and snow). For the liquid I used water, a couple cans of beer, and a TON of garlic and Old Bay seasoning. That is pretty much it.
 |
| Some of the pots I used to make everything in... to the right in red is an 18 quart roaster oven that I used as well. |
 | |
| The yummy food getting ready to be added to the pots |
 |
| CRAB!! |
 |
| The table of food |
 |
| Yes, everyone has their own little dish of melted butter to dip in :) |
Other side included whole wheat dinner rolls, southwest ranch coleslaw/salad, mixed seasoned veggies, and there were brownies for dessert. We also had fresh-cut lemons and little dishes of butter for everyone's enjoyment. Of course a few adult beverages were served as well. At first I had wanted to just line the table with a bunch of paper and pour everything in the middle and just have everybody dig in... but then with the different side dishes it was going to be too hard to do that. We did end up using plates and silverware (and bought some crab leg splitters from Joe's Crab Shack), but we still dumped all the crab in the middle of the table.
After supper, we played a board game that one of our friends brought over called Settlers of Catan. It took a little while to get used to, but once we got the hang of it, the game was SO much fun! I would say a very short description would be a strategy game where you collect various cards and trade them in to build roads and towns to get points and then win the game. Kind of like a combination of Pit and Monopoly.... maybe... sounds strange but it was fun :)
All in all, the night went very well and everything turned out SO yummy! I definitely want to do this again sometime. Thanks to those that came and made the night so much fun!!
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Christmas Gifts
Ok this is a little late, but I didn't want to spoil the surprise of anyone... but anyway... I made spiced sugar body scrubs (thanks Pinterest) and gave them to several people as homemade Christmas gifts. I don't remember the exact recipe, and I know I tweaked it anyway so it really doesn't matter what the original recipe is.
Pretty much all I did was mix the ingredients together until I was happy with the consistency. The only downfall was that it took a LOT more oil than I was expecting, and the coconut oil was a little pricy. It also is solid at room temp, so I needed to run the jar under hot water to get it into a liquid.
It was a fun, quick project, to help soften skin and help others relax a little ... plus it smelled wonderful! I also think this could work well with all white sugar and using a peppermint extract or lemon extract. Really, I am sure you could use about any essential oils that you liked. I might have to make more of these in various scents.
The main ingredients are:
Brown sugar
White sugar
Spices (nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon)
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Pretty much all I did was mix the ingredients together until I was happy with the consistency. The only downfall was that it took a LOT more oil than I was expecting, and the coconut oil was a little pricy. It also is solid at room temp, so I needed to run the jar under hot water to get it into a liquid.
Lastly, I made little labels and put them on the jars and gave them to a few people. I meant to give them to more people than I did, but I ran out of the coconut oil and it was too expensive to buy more. Sorry!
It was a fun, quick project, to help soften skin and help others relax a little ... plus it smelled wonderful! I also think this could work well with all white sugar and using a peppermint extract or lemon extract. Really, I am sure you could use about any essential oils that you liked. I might have to make more of these in various scents.
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