tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61271424517237663602019-05-19T05:11:38.487-04:00Helping rid the world of expensive, chemical-sodium-sugar laden over-processed junk one freezer at a time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-38627514460739025452016-01-04T12:11:00.002-05:002016-01-04T12:15:02.801-05:00

Awesome deal alert! Country style pork ribs are on sale at Stop & Shop this week for $1.29 lb. What? Yes - really! Here's what you do with them. CROCK POT!! Stock up, people - this is winter comfort food at its best. Each package contains 7-8 "ribs". Mix up 1-1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp dried rosemary, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper. Slice 1 large onion -

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-42481754957837062762013-11-16T16:53:00.002-05:002013-11-16T16:53:52.121-05:00

Just got a cool present from my husband! I'm always looking for ways to trim our grocery budget, and while I do pretty well, I can always do better. I did make the mistake of reading  the chapter on duck eggs. The author tells of her time as a duck owner. Being the current owner of 2 male pekin ducks, I realize she is just woefully ignorant on the subject and was trying to be funny when she

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-61863583728392686452013-02-26T17:13:00.001-05:002013-02-26T17:13:38.687-05:00

Holy cow, September 9th! Shame on me! It's not like I stopped cooking for 4...no FIVE months...geez louize! Anyhow, I've been trolling around the internet and other cooking blogs, getting hugely disappointed at every click of the mouse. Everybody is so put together, nice pictures, guest bloggers, companies paying to advertise. I mean, why not me, know what I mean? Yesterday I made a meal for a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-43094958558921525432012-09-09T16:07:00.000-04:002012-09-09T16:07:25.363-04:00

It's getting to be that time of year! Let's dust off those slow cookers! Ingredients: 3 pounds stew beef, cubed 4 potatoes, peeled & cubed 4 carrots, peeled thickly sliced 1 onion, peeled & cut in wedges 2 ribs celery thickly sliced 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp oregano 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 2 cups beef broth dash Worcestershire

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-42016192195527580342012-08-22T16:11:00.000-04:002012-08-22T16:11:01.431-04:00

Words cannot describe how funny this is - especially the comments. You MUST read the comments! Here's the link: http://www.food.com/recipe/ice-cubes-420398

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-80892154262939265672012-08-15T19:06:00.000-04:002012-08-15T19:06:37.338-04:00

So I did an image search on "goulash" today and this is what came up. When I was growing up, my dad and mom made goulash, which was basically a cheap way to feed 4 hungry kids. Elbow noodles, ground beef and tomato sauce. Always topped with "sprinkle cheese." When I got to college, I learned rather abruptly that my beloved "goulash" as I called it was, in reality, called "American Chop Suey."

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-56959496649309270802012-07-30T13:31:00.001-04:002012-07-30T13:31:20.648-04:00

Click the link below to watch. What do you all think of this video? It's well worth the time to watch it, as Dr. Greger is highly entertaining and there is a lot of great information. Does it motivate you to change your eating habits? Why or why not? Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death | NutritionFacts.org

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-53448988999228139952012-07-05T13:11:00.002-04:002012-07-05T13:12:05.142-04:00

I found this recipe in my inbox last week, courtesy of Vernon Patch! I'm reprinting it here just for ease, but I wanted to give credit where credit was due. Greek yogurt and ricotta make an awesome base for dips, where in the past I would have not thought to use anything other than sour cream. Only 88 calories in a 1/4 cup, and it's packed with protein and calcium. YUM! Note to self - use the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-59993958596278707822012-06-11T11:32:00.001-04:002012-06-11T11:32:29.136-04:00

Here it was, Sunday afternoon at 4:30 pm, and I had NOTHING in the freezer ready to prepare my family for dinner. We ordered pizza. I was ashamed. For me, this is inexcusable! I ALWAYS have something in the freezer. And yet, the spring schedule of activities  had gotten the better of even me. Now, I didn't have literally nothing in there - there was plenty of ice cream (priorities, yo), chicken

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-64514401931020185542011-12-22T17:52:00.000-05:002011-12-22T17:54:11.730-05:00

As I've spent more and more time cooking for my family, I've discovered that most of my time is spent on prep work. Actually cooking the meal? That's easy! It's the prep that takes the time. That's why all those TV chefs make everything look so effortless and "dinner in under 10 minutes" and all of that. They have everything cleaned, chopped, pre-measured and ready to throw in the pan! I've

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-163253044990487372011-12-02T11:47:00.001-05:002014-10-12T18:50:46.271-04:00

I've been wanting to do something creative with leftover mashed potatoes for a while now. The hubs is great with leftovers, but if there's no gravy, who wants to eat plain leftover mashed potatoes? I do freeze them and mix them in with fresh ones later on - but why not make a potato pancake out of them and mix in some fun ingredients to make something interesting? After scouring the internet

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-48425718590847709452011-11-28T18:54:00.001-05:002011-11-29T13:24:45.301-05:00

With a site titled "Dumb Blonde in the Kitchen" - how could I NOT share this?

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-14701808155788065592011-11-21T20:52:00.001-05:002011-11-21T20:56:18.147-05:00

A must-have in your freezer in order to serve at other times of the year, as fresh cranberries aren't available year round - so stock up!12 oz. whole cranberries1 seedless orange1 cup light brown sugar1/2 cup chopped walnutsRinse cranberries. Cut orange into 6-8 wedges, leaving the peel on. Run the cranberries and the orange wedges through a food processor together until nicely ground up. Dump

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-2788793871037943592011-11-19T12:41:00.001-05:002011-11-19T13:38:57.653-05:00

You know - a large field pumpkin? The kind that your kids turn into Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween? Yea, those field pumpkins. This one weighed in at over 20 pounds.  I've always been a bit fearful of large food items. I mean, look at the size of this thing! Where do you start? Anybody can dispatch one of those little baby sugar pumpkin dealies - but it takes a real woman to hack up one of

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-60303434159975411512011-11-08T13:21:00.000-05:002011-11-08T13:25:04.242-05:00

Winter storm Alfred not only left its mark on CT - it left its mark on my freezer! Thank goodness I didn't have the thing stocked to the brim as I normally would this time of year. Since I packed my kids up and went to Cape Cod for the week during the power outage (leaving my husband alone in the cold and dark) I also packed two coolers full of my most expensive freezer items - roasts, steaks,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-24937147914268522032011-10-16T11:40:00.000-04:002011-10-16T14:53:02.761-04:00

I really should start a series on making and storing your own convenience foods, but it would be an incredibly long series. More than likely, it will be what this blog will eventually become, but for now - let's talk about rice! Rice is one of those things that cooks up easily, will take on the flavors of pretty much anything you mix into it, and stores incredibly well in the freezer. It can

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-46589542774458005332011-10-13T16:04:00.000-04:002011-10-13T16:04:47.772-04:00

It wasn't much, but I managed to score some bars of Cracker Barrel cheese on sale, so in addition to making my famous "big mac & cheese" casserole for dinner last night, I bought extra and froze a meal-sized portion of pre-sliced cheddar so I could thaw it to make another one later. I also made a pot of spaghetti and meatballs, but I baked and flash froze the extra meatballs I made, I'd say @ a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-12348120204404504982011-10-12T11:22:00.000-04:002011-10-12T11:22:32.784-04:00

Well, ok, not completely empty. There are some bags of miscellaneous gravy, some acorn and butternut squash, a few quarts of chicken broth, and other various little bits of this and that. There are also a couple of packages of stew beef, a chuck roast, a rack of ribs and some raw chicken that didn't get prepped into anything. No more meals I can pull out at will, heat and serve - except for a

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-78443267243360870172011-09-18T20:11:00.001-04:002011-10-16T14:52:53.187-04:00

No need to buy dehydrated minced onion in a shaker. Just chop up fresh onions and freeze them in 1/2 cup increments. All you need are the cheapie fold & close sandwich bags and baggie ties. Store them in a gallon freezer bag, and don't forget to label what they are. When you're ready to use them, just thaw and either sautee, or just add to you favorite recipes. This is also a great way to avoid

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-16432722973299583392011-08-10T14:11:00.000-04:002011-08-10T14:11:49.928-04:00

Since joining a CSA this year, I've had a plethora of veggies in my fridge. Maybe I've been watching too much Anthony Bourdain recently, but I decided that good food needn't be difficult to prepare - and less is best. In fact, it's what you don't do to your food that makes the difference sometimes. This dish you see pictured too 10-15 minutes to prepare, from fridge to table. It is all veggies

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-87926176425725552522010-11-27T09:43:00.001-05:002010-11-27T09:43:49.425-05:00

Over a year ago I froze a couple of quarts of fresh plum tomatoes from the garden.  Nothing fancy, I just blanched them quickly to remove the skin, then I chopped them up.  I figured I'd turn them into sauce at some point, but I had completely forgotten about them until last night!  Thank goodness I used my food saver, because after thawing, pureeing and seasoning, this was some of the best

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-35578755996075235452010-11-19T15:40:00.001-05:002010-11-19T15:40:09.319-05:00

Thanksgiving is at my sister's this year, and I'm happily making my mom's cranberry relish recipe, much to the delight of my niece, Emily.  My nephew Josh will most likely want an entire cheesecake for himself, so I'd better make extra. :)I love Thanksgiving!

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-28467451669983250072010-11-02T17:44:00.000-04:002010-11-02T17:44:20.051-04:00

Today was one of those days.  It's getting colder, I'm tired, we got to the end of the day and my son asked "What's for dinner?" Went downstairs to the freezer - and I had choices galore!  Meatloaf, sloppy joes, pulled pork, crispy chicken, chicken wings, chicken tenders.  We decided on sloppy joes.  Thaw, reheat, thank-you-very-much. I remain indebted to Jill Bond who wrote the book (literally

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-80551071883339448792010-10-05T16:09:00.000-04:002010-10-05T16:09:28.898-04:00

Out of this Sam's Club shopping trip I'll get 3 meatloaves, 2-3 meals of chicken wings, 2-3 meals of baked chicken thighs, 5 meals made out of boneless skinless chicken breasts, 3 meals of pulled pork, 2 large mac & cheese casseroles, and 8 two-cup portions of shredded cheddar cheese to use later in recipes. Plus I promised my youngest son I'd hard boil a couple of dozen eggs for him to have as

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6127142451723766360.post-91044504703947708732010-08-23T15:28:00.000-04:002010-08-23T15:28:19.396-04:00

So we're going to be taking a week's vacation at our family house, and there's a full kitchen!  Hooray!!!  I can cook!! Wait a minute...hooray?  Cooking?  It's vacation - why on EARTH would I want to cook? But, if you know what I know, that's not really a bad thing - and we can save a lot of money by eating in most nights.  But do I really want to cook?  Yes - and no.  Cooking, I don't mind,

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0