Bugers and Frys

Tonight we made Burgers and Fries! It was yummy! Not so healthy but in budget!

Ground Sirloin $7.51

Bacon $1.66

Mushrooms $1.00

Onion $0.14

Swiss $0.66

Buns $1.25

Potatoes $0.92

Zucchini $0.52

Total: $13.64

So, I planned to have some Eggplant Parm that was in the freezer but Dale wanted burgers. I had the butcher put some steak seasoning on the ground beef at the store. Dale made patties with the beef and grilled them to perfection! He also grilled the zucchini with out any oil or salt!

I cooked 5 pieces of bacon, sauteed mushrooms and onions! To make the Fries I cut 1.6 pounds of potatoes into 8 pieces each. I tossed them in 1Tablespoon veg.oil. I put them in the microwave for 2 minutes, tossed and put back in for 2 more minutes. I laid them out on a cookie sheet and baked them at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, crispy fries! I bought a package of burger buns for $0.99 and used 2 for the kids and bought Onion rolls for Dale and me, so good!

We topped our burgers with mustard, mayo, bacon, mushrooms and onions.

Ashlyn has days when she likes eggs and others when she does not like them. Today was a "like egg" day. Ashlyn even asked if we could cook some more!

So we got out our better home and gardens cookbook and read the recipe!

We took out the eggs from the fridge.

I put them in there on their side, I read somewhere that that makes the yolk cook in the center!

We followed the directions and this was our result! She did a great job peeling them and even cleaned up after herself!

She made some egg salad with the eggs I cooked this morning so that will be her lunch tomorrow.

I would say that the "store them on their side" makes an nicely centerd yolk!

If you see Ashlyn, ask her how her first eggs were!

So no real recipes tonight. Just a few tips and how-to's. This is how my life is, I use a recipe as a guide, and make it my own. If you asked me how I make my eggplant parm (tomorrows dinner) I will give you a method, not a recipe.

Chicken and Bacon with Bowties & Big Time Banana Bread

I love to try new recipes! Unfortunately for my family, I love to try new recipes! I found this recipe from a cooking board I have been a part of off and on for the last 13 years. Yep, there was a very small group of people on the internet back then! That is back when we used to "dial-up" and no one could call you on the phone when you were on line!

I kind of enjoyed this recipe. I would (& did) make a few changes:
Attached is the recipe, but here is what I used:
Mexican Cheese $1.50
Wacky Mac $1.89
Bacon Bits $0.50
Milk $0.60
Cream of Chicken soup $0.88
Garlic Powder $0.01
Flour$0.05
Chicken $1.50
Mixed Veggies $0.88
Crescent Rolls $1.88
Total $10.23
I thought it was ok. I used pork bacon bits, because I had them, I used wacky mac, since it was the only veggie pasta I could find at my Fry's. I used garlic powder since I like to leave the salt out. Dale & Ashlyn add salt anyway. I served it with frozen mixed veggies and crescent rolls. I also did not taste the cheese. I think I will leave it off next time, wasted calories. I did make it in advance and let it sit in the fridge until I was ready to leave for church tonight. I set the time bake and baked it for 45 minutes at 350. The noodles were overdone, even though I cooked them for 6 minutes and the bag said to cook them 10. I guess this is not a make a head meal!


chicken-bacon bowtie bake
from Family Circle, December 1, 2011
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (12 ounces)
4 slices turkey bacon
1 pound tomato and spinach farfalle (such as DeCecco)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups fat-free milk
1 10 3/4 ounce can 98% fat-free condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
Directions
1. Heat broiler. Coat a 2-quart broiler-proof baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place chicken breast on greased broiler pan and broil 4 inches from flame for 6 to 7 minutes per side until internal temperature registers 160 degrees F. Remove to plate and cut into 1/2-inch
pieces. Keep warm.
3. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook bacon about 5 minutes until crisp. Chop and reserve.
4. Cook pasta following package directions, about 12
minutes. Drain.
5. Stir flour into milk and combine with soup and garlic salt in a medium-size saucepan. Simmer for 2 minutes untilthickened; stir in 3/4 cup of the cheese.
6. Return pasta to pot and stir in chicken and soup mixture. Spoon into prepared baking dish and top with bacon and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
7. Broil 4 inches from flame for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated and lightly browned on top. Serve immediately.



Big Time Banana Bread! I am not going to tell you how much this cost, I did not figure it out, sorry. I used a few bananas I had in the fridge that were VERY ripe and 2 bananas that were starting to get polka dots! I made 1 loaf and 12 muffins. I have been using this recipe for at least 8 years.
When I was pregnant with Ashlyn, I found a website, babycenter.com I met some great women there. We all loved to cook. A friend named Bren shared this recipe with me, along with many others, and in time I will get them on here too!
It is not a healthy food item, but so yummy! I think that baking is one of my favorite things to do!
Please try this recipe! You will not be sorry! It freezes well too!

I also have a weight watchers version but, I have not tried to make it, maybe next time!







Big Time Banana Bread
by Bren
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 6-7 mashed by hand with a fork)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sour cream or heavy cream
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray bottoms ONLY of 2 loaf pans with non-stick
cooking spray. Beat butter in large mixing bowl with mixer set at medium speed
until light & fluffy. Add both sugars and beat well. Add eggs and vanilla;
beat until well blended. Add mashed bananas and beat on high for about 30
seconds.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, & baking powder; mix
until combined well. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with
cream. Fold in walnuts. Pour batter evenly between the 2 loaf pans. Bake until
browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 15
minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Remove from pan
& cool completely. Slice & Serve. Serve alone, or with butter or with
cream cheese.
This tastes even better the next day.

Chicken Wings!

So tonight I grilled a package of chicken wings. 13 wings for $7.08 was only $0.54 a wing! I made a $0.88 box of Chicken Rice-a-Roni and added some Broccoli. I got the broccoli at Ranch Market for just $0.50! It was on sale! I Love that store!

So to make the chicken I turned the grill on High, closed the lid and let it get nice and toasty!

I went back out and turned it down to Low. I put the chicken wings on and shut the lid. So I baked them, kind of.

While they were on the grill, I melted 1/4 cup of butter, mmm butter! I added 2T garlic powder and a few shakes of L&P Worcestershire sauce.( <-- Spell check thinks it's spelled wrong, is it?)

Mixed it all together then I basted the chicken with it after turning the chicken over and cranking the heat to High!

It was very yummy!

I ate all the broccoli. I added 1/4 cup of margarine to it, since I used the last of my butter on the chicken. I squeezed a lemon on top and it was DELICIOUS!!!

Simple dinners can be kind of healthy. 1 chicken wing with the skin has only 65 calories and 5 g of fat. I didn't add too much to it with the butter but it sure was yummy.

I thought about adding a photo of what the kids plates looked like after they tried to eat the chicken wings but I thought that would scare you from trying this!

Give it a try, you will like it! I think next time though, I will just do the garlic butter on chicken breasts.

I have a meeting at 6 tomorrow so I will leave dinner up to Dale. I will let you know what he made and how much he spent. I wonder if he can come up with dinner from the fridge and pantry with out a trip to the store! I know there is a meal in there, we just have to look for it!

Chili & Cauliflower Popcorn!

Tonight is my first blog about dinners! My goal is to share some fun and easy and healthy recipes with you! If I remember to take a picture, I will but I may have just a few links and a recipe. I will do my best to cite every source, if I miss one, I am sorry, some of my recipes are so old, I have no idea where I got them!

I made Chili in the crock pot today. I followed a suggestion on pintrest on how to cook the meat: http://tamistipsandtricks.blogspot.com/search/label/ground%20beef

I did 5# of meat. 3# went into the chili. 2# are in baggies in the freezer for another night.

I made my own Chili seasoning that I found on allrecipes.com:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chili-seasoning-mix-ii/detail.aspx
I have no idea what it cost to make, I figure NOTHING since I had everything in my
cabinet! I used 3 Rounded Large Dinner Spoons, you know, the one you use to
serve the veggies with!

Here is what I bought to make dinner:

3# 97% lean Ground Beef $6

2 cans tomato sauce $0.64

Kidney Beans, light red, dark red & white $2.41

Crushed Tomatoes $1.27

2 packages Corn Bread mix $1.96

Shredded Cheese $1.55

Green Chilies $1.00

Sour Cream $1.25

Fritos $1.99

1 cup Milk $0.16

2 eggs $0.33

Total $18.56

I cooked the meat last night, put it into the crock pot. I held it in the fridg over night. This
morning at 6:15, before I left for work, I turned it on, and added Chili mix,
beans (drained & rinsed) Tomato sauce and Crushed. I filled my crock pot to
the "Min Fill" line, about one of each can of tomatoes. I have a
newer model, I got it for CHRISTmas last year.

I turned it on low for 10 hours. Dale was home today so he gave it a stir a few times, I didn't even ask him to!
Corn Bread was easy, mix, milk, egg. I tossed it in my borrowed, thanks mom, cast iron skillet, (not sure where mine went)

I added a few green chilies from the can to 1/2 of the pan before it went into the oven. Dale & I like them, the kids don't.

Baked for 20 minutes at 400. I think my pan was too hot and there was a nice black spot on the bottom. Still tasted OK though!
OK, here it is the story behind Cauliflower Popcorn! I was sitting at Ashlyn's skating lessons and going through a cool magazine that I found. I have no idea where I got it! There was a recipe for Cauliflower Popcorn. We gave it a try tonight, it was very yummy if you don't ask Brian! I didn't read the recipe correctly, it is really just a guide right? I baked it at 450 instead of 425. I wanted to eat it so bad that I didn't even take a second to take a picture of it until we were done
eating it!

No I did not bake it with a penny, I used it as a guide so you could see how small the pieces were. This was all that was left after Ashlyn & I ate!

The recipe came from Chop Chop Magazine

Cauliflower Popcorn

Crisp on the outside, creamy on the
inside—you’ll have a hard time stopping once you bite into one!
Ingredients
1 cauliflower (core cut out, pull apart florets into pieces about the size of popped corn)
2 teaspoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Wash your hands with soap and water,
then gather all your kitchen gear and ingredients and put them on a clean counter.
With the help of your adult, turn the oven on and set it to 425 degrees.
Put the cauliflower, oil and salt on the baking sheet and mix well.
When the oven is hot, with the help of your adult, put the baking sheet in the oven and cook until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Source URL: http://www.chopchopmag.org/recipes/cauliflower-popcorn-0

Changing my blog's direction!

So i got a pintrest invite a few weeks ago. I want to get my blog "pined" on it!
I am going to start my own "what's for dinner" blog.
I will post photos if I can and the recipe as well.
I will tell you where the recipe came from, how much I spent making it and how it tasted.
My goal is to do it daily. Like that will happen!
Tonight we are eating out, I will get the ball rolling tomorrow night when I make chili for dinner. I am getting it all into the crock pot before I head off to work at 6:30. I am trying a new seasoning blend so we will see how it turns out!
I will also let you know my weekly stats starting with tomorrow!