Want something yummy for Thanksgiving? Worried about how to cook a turkey? Well, keep this one in mind for your next event!
You need:
A turkey. Bigger is better. Once you heat up the oven, why not cook as big a bird as you can find?
1 apple
1 onion (I use sweet onion, like vidalia)
3 pieces of celery
1 pound of thin-sliced bacon
olive oil
salt, pepper
Take the giblets and neck out of the thawed or fresh turkey. Place in your roaster pan. Set oven according to the package (usually 325 degrees).
Cut up apple, onion, and celery. Place loosely in cavities, both ends.
Rub turkey with plenty of olive oil- breasts, legs, and wings.
Sprinkle on salt and pepper generously. I sometimes put thyme on my turkey, too. This year I used seasoned salt and seasoned pepper.
Place in oven and roast according to the package. A 20-pound bird usually takes about 4 1/2 hours. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. DO NOT BASTE. Opening the oven loses all the heat, and then your turkey takes longer to cook and will get dry.
45 minutes before your expected end time, open the oven, pull bird close to you. Cover bird with bacon, strip-by-strip. Don't forget the legs. The turkey will look bacon-stripey. Overlap the bacon slices slightly for a good seal. Maneuover around your pop-up thingee if the turkey has one.
Close the oven back up. If this took you a while, you may want to add some time to the cooking- about ten minutes.
Pull the bird out of the oven, and let it stand 15-20 minutes before slicing. Yummy!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Saturday, November 01, 2008
It works! Pumpkin Butter
This was a LOT yummier than I ever dreamed it would be.
1 29-oz can of pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix).
3/4 cup apple juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Cook in your slow-cooker for 4-6 hours, until you achieve desired thickness.
Alternatives:
No slow-cooker? No problem! Combine everything in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low or medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring constantly. For thicker sauce, simmer longer.
If you over-thicken, just add a little extra apple juice to thin it out.
Use Splenda instead of sugar. You may need to cook it a little extra time to get the thickening.
Play with the spices. Like it spicier? Add some ginger! Some folks prefer allspice or pumpkin spice to this mix. I am a particular fan of nutmeg, so I sometime put in some extra. ;)
Want fresh pumpkin? It will taste better! Take 4-5 small pie pumpkins, cut in them into halves (or quarters), and place into the slow cooker for 4 hours, then scoop out the flesh and blend or puree (or mash with a potato masher. Or I use a hand mixer.) You can also bake the fresh pumpkin- place the pumpkins flesh-side-down in a roasting pan with a cup of water. Bake at 350 degrees for about 90 minutes. Scoop and puree.
NOTE: Even if you can this, it MUST BE REFRIGERATED. It should last 4-6 months in your fridge if sealed.
1 29-oz can of pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix).
3/4 cup apple juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Cook in your slow-cooker for 4-6 hours, until you achieve desired thickness.
Alternatives:
No slow-cooker? No problem! Combine everything in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low or medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring constantly. For thicker sauce, simmer longer.
If you over-thicken, just add a little extra apple juice to thin it out.
Use Splenda instead of sugar. You may need to cook it a little extra time to get the thickening.
Play with the spices. Like it spicier? Add some ginger! Some folks prefer allspice or pumpkin spice to this mix. I am a particular fan of nutmeg, so I sometime put in some extra. ;)
Want fresh pumpkin? It will taste better! Take 4-5 small pie pumpkins, cut in them into halves (or quarters), and place into the slow cooker for 4 hours, then scoop out the flesh and blend or puree (or mash with a potato masher. Or I use a hand mixer.) You can also bake the fresh pumpkin- place the pumpkins flesh-side-down in a roasting pan with a cup of water. Bake at 350 degrees for about 90 minutes. Scoop and puree.
NOTE: Even if you can this, it MUST BE REFRIGERATED. It should last 4-6 months in your fridge if sealed.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Crockpot meatloaf
They ate it! I promise!
You need:
1 package of ground turkey or ground beef (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup of Lucky Charms, pat peices only (no marshmallows).
1 ziplock bag
1 small apple, chopped (I left the skin on)
Salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 seasoned pepper)
1 sweet onion, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
Put turkey into a large bowl.
Put Lucky Charms into the ziplock bag and crush them. This can be done by beating them with a spoon or mallet, or rolling them with a rolling pin. A food processor might work, too (leave off the ziplock bag). (Ritz crackers or bread crumbs can also be used instead of cereal).
Put crumbs in bowl with turkey, add apple, salt, and pepper. Mush together with your hands and form into a loaf.
Place chopped onions into bottom of crockpot.
Place loaf on bed of onion.
Mix soup with water. Pour over loaf.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Yum!
You need:
1 package of ground turkey or ground beef (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 cup of Lucky Charms, pat peices only (no marshmallows).
1 ziplock bag
1 small apple, chopped (I left the skin on)
Salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 seasoned pepper)
1 sweet onion, sliced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
Put turkey into a large bowl.
Put Lucky Charms into the ziplock bag and crush them. This can be done by beating them with a spoon or mallet, or rolling them with a rolling pin. A food processor might work, too (leave off the ziplock bag). (Ritz crackers or bread crumbs can also be used instead of cereal).
Put crumbs in bowl with turkey, add apple, salt, and pepper. Mush together with your hands and form into a loaf.
Place chopped onions into bottom of crockpot.
Place loaf on bed of onion.
Mix soup with water. Pour over loaf.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Yum!
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Easy Crockpot Whats-in-the-fridge
Here is what you need:
Something thawed from the fridge. Say, chicken breasts, or pork chops, even beef.
A can of cream-of-something soup. I prefer mushroom, and add an extra can of mushrooms.
To add something, try these:
Wedged potatoes.
Frozen vegetables.
Here's what you do:
Toss in the thawed whatever from the fridge. Pour the soup over it. IF you want the sauce a little thinner, add some water, maybe 1/4 cup. Add any of the extras (potatoes, veggies).
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Voila. Dinner.
Something thawed from the fridge. Say, chicken breasts, or pork chops, even beef.
A can of cream-of-something soup. I prefer mushroom, and add an extra can of mushrooms.
To add something, try these:
Wedged potatoes.
Frozen vegetables.
Here's what you do:
Toss in the thawed whatever from the fridge. Pour the soup over it. IF you want the sauce a little thinner, add some water, maybe 1/4 cup. Add any of the extras (potatoes, veggies).
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Voila. Dinner.
Friday, April 04, 2008
$50 per week
I have a general food budget of $50 per week. I lot of folks are asking me- especially with money being tight- how I do that. So I thought I'd poke into my cooking blog and write a little about my budgeting and food detail.
First of all, the monthly budget is actually more than the $50 per week. (uh oh everybody says). I allow about $300 per month (instead of the $225 that $50 per week for 4 1/2 weeks would be).
Second of all, we are lucky to get "breaks from the budget" due to my mom sometimes treating us to grocery items. So we are not living this day in, day out, all year long. However, if the need arises we could, and that is part of the point of the exercise.
Our $50 per week is also contingent on local food prices. If you are paying $5 a gallon for milk, that's more than the $3.50-$4.00 we are paying here, and other items in your store may be impacted. You have consider this when budgeting. It is better to first consider what you need, how much it costs, and where it is sold cheapest, and thereby determine what your food budget should be, rather than slapping a $50 limit and hoping you can squeeze what you need into it.
Also, there is initial investment. how much you spend on that initial investment depends on your local resources: dent-and-scratch sales or centers (for example, we have Sears Appliance outlet in Richmond), Freecycle, generous friends and family getting rid of old items, etc.
The initial investment:
A freezer. The bigger your family, the bigger freezer you should get. Upright freezers are easier for access. Chest freezers tend to hold more food. If you have a choice, get as energy-efficient a freezer as you can. You don't want to save on food, only to have the electric bill skyrocket.
Good plastic containers and bags. Tupperware, gladware, whatever. Get lots of different sizes. You will need space to organize them when not in use. These are for leftovers, storing items with less air so they last longer, and freezing recipes like soup or chili for later eating.
Plastic wrap. Go to your local wholesale club and get one of the big industrial rolls of saranwrap. This will let you portion out items that are bought in bulk.
Freezer bags, gallon size. You can find these on sale if you watch for it. I prefer zipper-top ones.
A crockpot. Crockpot cooking is a wonderful thing, and its cheap. Potatoes are cheap, or can be grown in your yard. Look for cheaper cuts of meat, and in bulk. Potatoes, a peice of meat, a can of cream-of-something soup, maybe some frozen veggies, and you have dinner.
Next, remember that extra $75 a month? Take $50. Start shopping for meats. You want to look for meat by the pound. Ground beef isn't cheap like it used to be. You want to look for deals, and you may need to spread out this $50 over the month as different specials come and go. Look for that magic $.99 per pound or below. Then go buy it. Divide up these packages into single portions using your plastic wrap. Then put the wrapped portions into your freezer bags, and put them in the freezer. You now know the bulk of what you will be eating in the future. Keep an eye out for these specials, but keep in that $50 per month- partly for budget, partly for rotation. Never buy anything you won't actually eat (if you hate chicken, buying $.99 chicken isn't saving you any money. wait until the beef, or tofu, or whatever you actually eat goes on sale). Also, you may find the "magic number" where you are, or for what you eat, is higher, like $1.99. Just try to get it like the stock market- buy low. $1.99 is great for boneless chicken breasts around here, and $.99 is good for whole chickens; but I do keep my eyes peeled for real bargains. Turkeys at Thanksgiving are a good example- they were $.29 a pound at Turkey Day, and they keep in teh freezer very nicely, thanks. And you can eat off of 'em for four or five days.
Next, the $25. This is for buying in bulk things you use that can be stored. For example, we buy cream of mushroom soup, canned mushrooms, and canned green beans by the case, in stead of by the can. It's cheaper. I include school snacks in the weekly calculation below, but these also tend more often to be bought by the case around here.
OK, now we come to the $50 per week. First, we determine what food we need each and every week. I do go weekly, so I can get fresh food. Don't forget tax when you are counting up your food basket. I include it in approximating prices.
Milk 1/2 gallon, $2.50
fruit/veggie budget (fresh) $10.00
Potatoes, 5 pounds $2.00
sweet onion $1.00
Sour cream $1.50
Cottage cheese $3.00
Cheese for shredding $2.00
yogurt $2.00
bacon $3.00
Frozen veggies, $5.00
School snacks $4.00
School drinks $2.00
Chips $2.00 (I buy Utz chips, so they don't keep so well; hence, they are a weekly item)
That's about $40.
The other ten dollars is for "occasional items":
Toilet paper
Paper toweling
Trash bags
Peanut Butter
Ketchup
Whipping cream
Jello
butter
eggs
These are items I do not need every single week, but I do need over the course of a couple weeks or over the month.
Note that we do not buy bread, pasta, rice, cereal, or sweets. If we need these things, they are in my "occasional" budget. We don't do a lot of carbs around here. Joey gets plenty of them at school.
So that's how we do it. I suspect over the summer to bring the veggie budget down so it can be used to supplement elsewhere- buying more stuff to freeze for later. Planning your meals ahead of time also helps- perhaps you won't use sour cream this week, so you can use that $1.50 to buy extra cheese, or more milk, or a loaf of bread, or even a treat. Also, don't be afraid t place extra money elsewhere into the food budget to stretch it all later- Got an extra $5, and the frozen veggies are on sale this week? That will save you down the road!
Best of luck pinching those pennies, clipping those coupons, and keeping to those budgets!!!
First of all, the monthly budget is actually more than the $50 per week. (uh oh everybody says). I allow about $300 per month (instead of the $225 that $50 per week for 4 1/2 weeks would be).
Second of all, we are lucky to get "breaks from the budget" due to my mom sometimes treating us to grocery items. So we are not living this day in, day out, all year long. However, if the need arises we could, and that is part of the point of the exercise.
Our $50 per week is also contingent on local food prices. If you are paying $5 a gallon for milk, that's more than the $3.50-$4.00 we are paying here, and other items in your store may be impacted. You have consider this when budgeting. It is better to first consider what you need, how much it costs, and where it is sold cheapest, and thereby determine what your food budget should be, rather than slapping a $50 limit and hoping you can squeeze what you need into it.
Also, there is initial investment. how much you spend on that initial investment depends on your local resources: dent-and-scratch sales or centers (for example, we have Sears Appliance outlet in Richmond), Freecycle, generous friends and family getting rid of old items, etc.
The initial investment:
A freezer. The bigger your family, the bigger freezer you should get. Upright freezers are easier for access. Chest freezers tend to hold more food. If you have a choice, get as energy-efficient a freezer as you can. You don't want to save on food, only to have the electric bill skyrocket.
Good plastic containers and bags. Tupperware, gladware, whatever. Get lots of different sizes. You will need space to organize them when not in use. These are for leftovers, storing items with less air so they last longer, and freezing recipes like soup or chili for later eating.
Plastic wrap. Go to your local wholesale club and get one of the big industrial rolls of saranwrap. This will let you portion out items that are bought in bulk.
Freezer bags, gallon size. You can find these on sale if you watch for it. I prefer zipper-top ones.
A crockpot. Crockpot cooking is a wonderful thing, and its cheap. Potatoes are cheap, or can be grown in your yard. Look for cheaper cuts of meat, and in bulk. Potatoes, a peice of meat, a can of cream-of-something soup, maybe some frozen veggies, and you have dinner.
Next, remember that extra $75 a month? Take $50. Start shopping for meats. You want to look for meat by the pound. Ground beef isn't cheap like it used to be. You want to look for deals, and you may need to spread out this $50 over the month as different specials come and go. Look for that magic $.99 per pound or below. Then go buy it. Divide up these packages into single portions using your plastic wrap. Then put the wrapped portions into your freezer bags, and put them in the freezer. You now know the bulk of what you will be eating in the future. Keep an eye out for these specials, but keep in that $50 per month- partly for budget, partly for rotation. Never buy anything you won't actually eat (if you hate chicken, buying $.99 chicken isn't saving you any money. wait until the beef, or tofu, or whatever you actually eat goes on sale). Also, you may find the "magic number" where you are, or for what you eat, is higher, like $1.99. Just try to get it like the stock market- buy low. $1.99 is great for boneless chicken breasts around here, and $.99 is good for whole chickens; but I do keep my eyes peeled for real bargains. Turkeys at Thanksgiving are a good example- they were $.29 a pound at Turkey Day, and they keep in teh freezer very nicely, thanks. And you can eat off of 'em for four or five days.
Next, the $25. This is for buying in bulk things you use that can be stored. For example, we buy cream of mushroom soup, canned mushrooms, and canned green beans by the case, in stead of by the can. It's cheaper. I include school snacks in the weekly calculation below, but these also tend more often to be bought by the case around here.
OK, now we come to the $50 per week. First, we determine what food we need each and every week. I do go weekly, so I can get fresh food. Don't forget tax when you are counting up your food basket. I include it in approximating prices.
Milk 1/2 gallon, $2.50
fruit/veggie budget (fresh) $10.00
Potatoes, 5 pounds $2.00
sweet onion $1.00
Sour cream $1.50
Cottage cheese $3.00
Cheese for shredding $2.00
yogurt $2.00
bacon $3.00
Frozen veggies, $5.00
School snacks $4.00
School drinks $2.00
Chips $2.00 (I buy Utz chips, so they don't keep so well; hence, they are a weekly item)
That's about $40.
The other ten dollars is for "occasional items":
Toilet paper
Paper toweling
Trash bags
Peanut Butter
Ketchup
Whipping cream
Jello
butter
eggs
These are items I do not need every single week, but I do need over the course of a couple weeks or over the month.
Note that we do not buy bread, pasta, rice, cereal, or sweets. If we need these things, they are in my "occasional" budget. We don't do a lot of carbs around here. Joey gets plenty of them at school.
So that's how we do it. I suspect over the summer to bring the veggie budget down so it can be used to supplement elsewhere- buying more stuff to freeze for later. Planning your meals ahead of time also helps- perhaps you won't use sour cream this week, so you can use that $1.50 to buy extra cheese, or more milk, or a loaf of bread, or even a treat. Also, don't be afraid t place extra money elsewhere into the food budget to stretch it all later- Got an extra $5, and the frozen veggies are on sale this week? That will save you down the road!
Best of luck pinching those pennies, clipping those coupons, and keeping to those budgets!!!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Very Easy Crockpot Chicken
Crockpot recipes should be one step. That is the point. When you start getting more than that, just cook.
So here we go:
1 package of chicken. Boneless thighs will be moister; boneless breasts will be drier.
1 can cream of something soup (mushroom, celery, chicken... )
1 small box package frozen veggie, NOT THAWED (works best with broccoli, but frozen peas, green beans, limas, etc. have also worked).
1/2 cup milk or water.
Dump the soup and milk or water into crockpot and stir, add chicken and and frozen veggies.
Turn to low for 7 hours. If you must, 3-4 hours on high.
Serves well over noodles, rice, toast, or sauted onions.
So here we go:
1 package of chicken. Boneless thighs will be moister; boneless breasts will be drier.
1 can cream of something soup (mushroom, celery, chicken... )
1 small box package frozen veggie, NOT THAWED (works best with broccoli, but frozen peas, green beans, limas, etc. have also worked).
1/2 cup milk or water.
Dump the soup and milk or water into crockpot and stir, add chicken and and frozen veggies.
Turn to low for 7 hours. If you must, 3-4 hours on high.
Serves well over noodles, rice, toast, or sauted onions.
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