The Full Table

Granola

2009-10-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

I so am not a fan of grocery store cereal. It's so bad that my kids get cereal for their birthday and think it's the most special gift in the world. So recently I've been striving to keep homemade granola on hand for those who just can't stomach one more bowl of oatmeal. They like it so much, that I've had to put a measuring cup in the container. In reality, if we all ate this it would probably last us two days if we ate the right portion size. This stuff is packed full of good calories, but too much of a good thing in the end is not a good thing- if you know what I mean.

Homemade Granola

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 24
Cost: Approx. $2.50

6 cups old fashioned oats ($.25)
1 cup oat bran cereal ($.75)
1/4 cup flax seeds ($.50)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped almonds ($.75 if bought in bulk)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil or unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup honey ($.50)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Mix oats, bran, seeds, cinnamon, almonds and brown sugar. In a sauce pan combine oil/applesauce, honey water and vanilla over low heat until well incorporated. Pour liquid over dry ingredients and mix well.

Spread on cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake at 300 for 60 minutes stirring every 15.

Let cool completely and store in air tight container.

Preserving: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

2009-10-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I couldn't let all those seeds go to waste, so roasting the seeds was the best option. Those two pumpkin produced 2 cups of seeds. Apart from getting them separated from the pulp, the rest was easy.

1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp butter melted
salt to taste

Coat seeds well in butter and salt. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally. Enjoy!

I got distracted so about half of ours burned. Next time I'll be more diligent. But according to Joseph, "The dark brown ones are the best!"

Note: 1 cup of seeds prepared this way is 1000 calories. Great snack if you are hiking in the wilderness. For the rest of us moderation is the key.

Preserving: Pumpkin

2009-10-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

Join in on The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap to see this recipe and many others!

I purchase 2 organic pie pumpkins at the local Farmer's Market for just under $7 with the hopes of preparing some fresh pumpkin pulp. I love pumpkin flavored everything and heard a wild rumor that it's going to be hard to find this fall. So as not to be left empty handed and to hopefully save some money, I tried my hand at it.

Here's what I did:

Cut the pumpkins in half, removing pulp and seeds.
Cut the pumpkin into wedges.
Place the wedges face down in my roaster oven with about 1 cup of water
Cooked them for 3 hours at 350.
When cooled, removed the skin.
Mashed the pulp with a potato masher (my blender suddenly broke)
Measured out 15 ounce (same as a small can of pumpkin) bags to store in the freezer.

I ended up getting 6 15 oz servings- about equivalent to $1 a can. From what I've researched a can of organic pumpkin sells for between $2-3. Not bad.

Two things that surprised me were how utterly hard it was to cut a pumpkin and how much lighter in color the pulp was than what I envisioned.
Any thoughts?

I have yet to use it, but have plans on making a Pumpkin Meringue Pie someday soon.

Apple Butter Cake

2009-10-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

As promised, I've begun using our apple butter to trial some new recipes. This cake was SO delicious! The icing wasn't quite what I expected. It turned out to be more like a glaze, but it did not lack in flavor. I made it a two layer round cake. Next time I think it will be bundt. Sorry, no picture for this one. It was gone before I had a chance.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Serves: 16
Cost: Approx. $2.50

1/2 cup butter ($.75)
1 cup sugar
4 beaten eggs ($.25)
2 1/2 cups flour ($.25)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk
1 cup apple butter ($1.00)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Add sifted dry ingredients alternating with milk. Mix well. Blend in apple butter. Pour into greased baking pan. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Quick Caramel Icing

1 cup brown sugar ($.25)
1/2 cup cream/milk
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar and milk in a saucepan and cook covered for several minutes. Remove lid, bring to a boil. Allow to boil for a few minutes stirring occasionally. Add butter. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm. Add vanilla and beat until thick and creamy. (Mine never reached this consistency.) Spread on warm cake.

Apple Butter

2009-10-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

You can find this recipe and many others for your kitchen at the Recipe Swap at the Grocery Cart Challenge.

What to do with 30 pounds of apples? (I can't resist a sale.) Make A LOT of apple butter. It was a bit of work, I'll admit, but my helpers were eager to mash and strain. And the cost savings is significant. A 12 oz jar of apple butter can be between $4-5. Our cost was around $1.75 for 12 oz. With this apple butter I plan on trying a few new recipes: Apple Butter Pie, Apple Butter Pancakes, Apple Butter Cake with Caramel Icing, and Apple Bread Pudding. Any requests on which one I should make first?

Prep Time: 10 minutes (using and apple corer)
Cook Time: 3 hours
More Prep Time: 1 hour (w/o food mill:(
Yield: 16 cups
Cost: Approx. $6.00

15 pounds apples cored and sliced ($6.00)
2-3 cups sugar
4-5 cups apple cider ($2.00)
Cinnamon to taste

Place apples in large pan or roaster. Cover with cider and desired cinnamon. Bake at 300 for 3-4 hours or until apples are soft and falling apart. Mash through a medium strainer (or food mill if you have one). Store in airtight container. Freeze or refrigerate immediately.

Creamy Stewed Apples

2009-10-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I picked up a small cookbook entitled, "Old-Fashioned Apple Recipes". Knowing that I had 30 pounds of apples at home waiting for me was quite the motivating factor. I just couldn't pass up a 5lb bag of gala apples for $1.89 each. Here's one simple way to cook apples that is beyond delicious.

Prep Time: less than 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Serves: 8
Cost: Approx. $1.00

4 apples cored and sliced
bacon grease or 2 Tbsp butter
2/3 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbs flour
1/2 cup cream or milk
cinnamon

Cook apples in bacon grease or butter for about 2 minutes stirring constantly. Mix brown sugar, salt and flour into the cream/milk to form a smooth paste. Add to apples. Cook at medium heat until mixture thickens. Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.

This would make a great side dish, but we enjoyed our served over cinnamon french toast. It made for a perfect accompaniment to spinach/bacon/cheese crustless quiche. Pretty good for a meal made from what was already on hand.

Banana Split Ice Cream Cake

2009-09-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is one of Sean's favorite deserts. I love it because it is easy to prepare, serves a lot of people and keeps in the freezer for up to three months!!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 16-24 (depending on your generosity)
Cost: approx $6.00

Ingredients:

Graham Crackers ($.50)
1/2 stick of butter melted ($.25)
4 bananas sliced thinly-fresh or frozen ($.50)
1 quart strawberry ice cream softened($2.00)
1/2 jar of hot fudge topping ($.75)
1 small tub whipped cream topping ($1.00)
pecans ($.50)

Crush graham crackers until equal to 4 cups. Mix with melted butter and press into bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes or until crust is set. Let cool.

Place layer of bananas over crust. Pour on warmed hot fudge topping. Spread an ice cream layer evenly over the hot fudge. Top with a layer of whipped cream. Sprinkle with pecans.

Cover and freeze for 3 hours before serving. Refreeze any unused portion and store for up to 3 months.

Grilled Pizza

2009-09-14T20:22:00.001-07:00

In celebration of my beloved, Sean's, 37th birthday we celebrated with pizza. I seriously had doubts about putting raw dough on the grill, but it worked well and exceeded our expectations. Not only is this the easiest pizza ever, but there is no clean up. Got to love that!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 9
Cost: Approx. $2.25

3 1/2 cups flour ($.25)
1 envelope Yeast or 2 tsp bulk yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/3 cups very warm water
1/3 cup olive
Italian Spice Seasoning
Tomato sauce ($.50)
Mushrooms (0ther toppings as desired) ($1.00)
Shredded mozzarella cheese ($1.50)

Combine all dry ingredients setting aside 1/2 cup of flour. Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil to warm water. Pour into dry ingredients and mix well. Knead dough adding in 1/2 cup of flour until no longer sticky. Separate into 9 pieces and roll flat.

Brush olive oil on both sides of dough and place directly on the grill. Allow to cook 3-4 minutes or until crust is easily turned. Add sauce, seasoning and toppings. Cook and additional 10 minutes or until cheese begins to bubble.

Ginger Waffles with Raspberry-Peach Sauce

2009-09-05T06:01:00.000-07:00

The kids pooled their money and bought a waffle maker a few weeks ago. They've announced that Saturday morning is officially waffle day which works out well since they sleep in a bit and wake up in shifts. Waiting for the next waffle is just about as tortuous as having to wait for the bathroom around here. So I've been on the search for a a healthy, whole grain waffle. I think this morning we found it! This recipe is adapted from the Weight Watcher's Cookbook, Comfort Classics.

Ginger Waffles with Raspberry-Peach Sauce
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: Varies
Cost: Approx. $3.00
Serves: 12

Sauce
1 cup of frozen raspberries ($.25)
1 can of peaches drained ($.75)
2 Tbsp apple juice
3 Tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Waffles
1 1/2 cup flour ($.25)
1 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour ($.25)
6 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp baking soda
3 1/2 cup milk ($.50)
4 eggs separated ($.50)
4 Tbsp butter melted ($.25)

Place all sauce ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until they form a soft peak. Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients well and set aside.

Whisk milk, egg yolks, butter and 1/2 tsp vanilla. When blended add dry ingredients slowly while mixing constantly. Finally, fold in egg whites gently.

Prepare waffles. Serve immediately with sauce.

Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza

2009-08-19T19:05:00.000-07:00

There's nothing quite like it. Can't drive to Chicago to get it. So here's my attempt. Using what I had in my pantry, I combined several on line recipes.

It wasn't bad for the first try. The crust was great, but I need to work on the sauce. I think there are a few people around who would be willing to try it again:) It was a great way to use the tomatoes from our garden, but next time I think it will be sauted mushrooms, garlic and onion.

Prep Time: 30 minutes (includes rising time)

Cook time: 25-30 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Cost: Approx. $5.00

Crust

1 cup warm water
1 package quick rise yeast ($.50)
2 eggs
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour

Place sugar, yeast and water in a bowl and mix well until dissolved. Let rest 5 minutes. Then add 2 eggs well beaten.

Mix dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients adding additional flour as needed until dough is no longer sticky. Knead for five minutes. Let rest in greased bowl for 15 minutes. Press into deep dish pan and add toppings.

Toppings

Pizza Sauce (I made my own from canned tomatoes and this mix) ($.50)
3-4 cups shredded mozarella cheese ($2.50)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese ($.75)
diced onion and minced garlic sauted in olive oil until tender ($.25)
Sliced tomatoes (from garden)

To assemble pizza:

Press dough in deep pan or iron skillet making sure that dough is covering the sides. Spread a thin layer of sauce on bottom. Layer 1/2 of onion/garlic mixture, sprinkle 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, 3 large spoonfuls of sauce, 1/2 of mozzarella cheese and repeat.

Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until cheese becomes golden brown.

Yeast Problems

2009-08-19T18:39:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you a little story.

Once upon a time there was a girl who needed extra credit in Biology. Since her class was studying yeast, the teacher told her she could bring in a loaf of bread made by her very own self. "No problem," she naively thought.

She followed the directions perfectly for making two loafs of simple white bread. She added and mixed and kneaded and waited. And waited. And waited.... Seeing that her dough didn't exactly double she figured out a reasonable solution. She decided to place all of the dough into one loaf pan to form a loaf and stuck it in the oven. Much later than anticipated the loaf was finally finished. She placed her five pound loaf of bread in a brown bag and took it to school the next day. Done.

Little did she realize that her loaf had not produced the yeast fluffiness desired until she saw her classmates' masterpieces. To avoid humiliation, she quickly threw her brown bag in the trash like and pretended that nothing had ever happened.

When her teacher inquired after class as to the whereabouts of her project, she fessed up. The teacher hysterically and promptly removed the loaf from the trashcan. The girl was dismissed.

The next day upon arrival to the classroom, she saw a group of students gathered around the door. To her horror, the girl saw there on the floor, none other than the teacher's new doorstop- a shellacked five pound loaf of bread.

And just to prove that some things never change here is what my children found today. They couldn't figure out what this disgusting thing was in the bowl on top of the TV in my bedroom (the warmest spot in the house).

This is wheat bread that I made last weekend which didn't rise and I forgot all about. *sigh*

Eat This, Not That!

2009-07-27T19:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, sorry for the delay in the answer.

The winner?!

Chic fil a, of course! The only A grade. 8 piece nuggets with Barbecue sauce is the winner at 305 calories and 13 grams of fat. They beat out any other chicken nuggets on the market.

Wendy's and Subway received the only A- grades.

The restaurants receiving an F grade include: IHOP, Olive garden, Outback, Red Lobster, T,G,I Friday's.

Just for your information:

The worst Kid's meal in America: Chili's Pepper Pals Country-Fried Chicken Crispers with ranch dressing and fries ( 1110 calories, 82 g fat)

Worst side dish for kids: Bob Evans Smiley Face Potatoes (535 calories, 31g fat)

Having the facts makes me rethink how I want to feed my kids on the road.

Eat this, Not that!

2009-07-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Have you seen this book? I actually meant to pick up the adult version, but instead purchased the kids' addition. Wow! This book is packed full of informative tidbits and bright pictures that my kids can't stop looking at.

It covers all of the major restaurants by giving each a letter grade for nutrition as well as the best and worst items on the menu. There are some real surprises in there.

Also, there is a section on prepackaged kid foods. I'm not a huge fan of prepackaged foods, but sometimes they are unavoidable.

I saw the kids referring to it in the van on a recent road trip when we were picking a fast food place. If we're going to spend our money on overpriced food, than we might as well make it as healthy as possible.

Guess which restaurant was the only one that received an "A". Go ahead, guess.

Preserving: Bananas

2009-06-23T18:23:00.000-07:00

I personally am not a fan of the banana. Way to mushy for me. But it's an affordable fruit and so healthy. Inevitably, the bananas ripen overnight and I'm stuck with a whole lot of them wasting away on the counter. Usually I throw the whole thing in the freezer for banana bread at a later time.

This time I decided to peel the bananas and flash freeze them. My intention was for them to be used for smoothies. However, this tray disappeared within a matter of days. Some claimed that the frozen bananas were better than ice cream. Who knew?

I often walk by the spotted, marked down bananas. But no more.

Preserving: Strawberries

2009-06-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

My family is picky about little, but when it come to the staple, PB&J, they will have nothing but strawberry preserves. I've given up trying to convert them to the affordable grape jelly and have decided to stock up on our own homemade version this summer. They are very pleased with the results!

Cut up strawberries to measure 2 cups. Smash with potato masher until desired consistency. Add 4 cups of sugar and stir one minute. Meanwhile, boil 3/4 cups of water. Add 1 package of pectin and bring to a boil stirring constantly for 3 minutes.

Add pectin to strawberry mixture and stir well until all of the sugar is dissolved.

Add to jars leaving at least 1/2 inch at the top. Let set for 24 hours. Refrigerate or freeze.

For these jars we used 5 pints of strawberries ($5.00), 3 boxes of pectin ($5.50) and a whole lot of sugar ($1.50). $12.00 yielded about 15 cups of preserves. The same amount at Aldi would cost close to $20.

Strawberries are priced at $.97/pint this week, so I'm on the hunt for some lower priced pectin (perhaps one that would require less sugar) to build our supply for winter. Any suggestions?

June Menu

2009-06-06T08:52:00.001-07:00

This is what we are eating from the freezer this month. Now I can just defrost and reheat. I even cooked all the noodles and rice. That's how lazy I am. Sounds like a good summer plan to me:

Skyline Chili
Southwest Chicken Salad
Burritos
Barbecue Chicken
Sweet and Sour Meatballs
Stir Fry
Italian Chicken and Rice
Lasagna
Spaghetti Carbonara
Hot Dogs and Chili Dog Sauce
Meatloaf
Sausage Jamboli
Green Beans/Sausage/Potatoes

Fish Tacos

2009-05-30T08:37:00.000-07:00

After hearing the raves of other bloggers about fish tacos I tried it recently when we went out to eat. Wow! What a great combination of flavors and a great summertime dish. Not too heavy and easy to make. Here's my first homemade attempt combining several recipes I found online. I missed getting a good pictures. They were gone before I could find the camera.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Cost: Approx. $7.00
Serves: 8

2 pounds of white fish ($4.00)
Alaina's Taco Seasoning
16 small white corn or flour tortillas warmed($2.00)
1/2 cup sour cream ($.25)
1/2 cup mayonnaise ($.25)
Cilantro chopped
cabbage shredded ($.25)
1/2 onion diced ($.25)

Cook fish in microwave or skillet until it is white and flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of taco seasoning and cook for another 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute onion and cabbage in butter until warmed through, but still crunchy.

Prepare sauce by mixing sour cream, mayo, cilantro (desired amount), and remaining seasoning together well.

Serve on warmed tortillas and enjoy!

Preserving: Corn

2009-05-27T16:25:00.000-07:00

I will likely never have a big garden to harvest. I'll be happy if my few tomato plants bless us with some fruit this summer. But I am determined this summer to take advantage of the great sales on fresh produce and store some away for winter. My plan is to preserve through freezing rather than canning since I lack the necessary supplies, but have a ton of freezer space. The next few months I'll be sharing with you our stockpile as it grows. Enjoy!

Corn On the Cob

I read about this on a blog last week and it definitely lived up to its claims. This corn far surpasses any that I've boiled or grilled. It has a perfect crunchiness and sweetness. The best part? There is no required desilking. The husk just falls away.

Place ears of corn directly on baking sheet. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes. Let cool slightly, peel back husks, cut corn off the cob and freeze.

Ears of sweet corn were $.15 a piece this week. I picked up 40 to start and it yielded 7 pounds of corn for the freezer. That works out to be $6.00 total or $.85 a bag. Comparable quality would cost $1.39-$2.39 frozen or $.89 canned.

Orange Shake-ups

2009-05-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

I spent many a summer making lemon and orange shake-ups in a family friend's hot stand at a county fair somewhere in the Midwest. Recently I bought a huge amount marked down oranges for $2 and improvised to serve a no mess version of this special treat. It just tastes like summer!

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: none
Serves: 4 glasses
Cost: Practically free

3 oranges sliced
1/8-1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute to taste
ice
water
large jar (I used a very large plastic applesauce jar)

Place the sliced oranges in the bottom of a large jar. Using the end of a wooden spoon smash oranges until just rinds are remaining. Fill the jar to the rim with ice. Add water. Seal and shake for about one minute.

Hotel Food

2009-05-16T05:48:00.000-07:00

My kids love staying in hotels. Of course, they love to swim. But they are also BIG fans of the complimentary breakfast where they are not restricted to just one bowl of cereal or oatmeal like at home. Their eyes pop out of their head with sight of bagels and waffles and sugar cereal to choose from. Many times I have relied on this big breakfast to help make it through a long morning.

This weekend we didn't fair so well. We found an affordable suite with three queen beds, but no pool and no breakfast. We considered walking over to the Cracker Barrel, but we knew they couldn't fill up for the day there. Besides it would cost over $50 at least.

So last night I snuck out to the store and served them donuts, hot pockets, fruit, chocolate milk, j fruit and juice this morning. All together it cost $16 and they were more than pleased with these special treats. Whatever is left over, I will use for snacks later.

**I'm excited to show you a few new recipes coming soon that we'll be trying- fish tacos, crunchy baked chicken, salads and grill foods. So don't give up on this blog. I will post again soon:)**

Cooking Rut

2009-05-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

Coming out of winter and into the summertime menu, I feel like in a cooking rut here. Winter just seems so much easier with stews, soups and casseroles. Summer is a different situation altogether. Everyone is a bit hungrier because we are more active and yet, nothing sounds good.

So, I'm calling out for help. Please share you favorite summer main dish! You can leave it in a comment, give me a link or email me. I'll try it out and feature it on this blog. And my family will be forever grateful that they are not eating the same ole thing.

Tip of the Week

2009-04-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

Today I was dealing with 20 pounds of beef and preparing it for the freezer. Wanting the put together some meatloaf, but not really wanting to deal with the mess I had a flash of genius. There's nothing worse than having my hands in frigid raw meat and then having to answer the phone or rescue a child in need or answer the door. It happens every time.

I just threw in all the ingredients into a large Ziploc bag, sealed it well and mixed the ingredients without ever even touching the raw meat! When it's time to make these mini meatloaves, I'll just thaw in the fridge and then scoop out the mixture with a large scoop right into the muffin tins. Couldn't be easier or any less messy:)

Buttermilk Salad Dressing

2009-04-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

I'm spring cleaning my spice cabinet and making dry mixes. I multiplied this dry mix times 10 and now will have plenty of dressing on hand for those summer vegetables!

Dry Mix (1 serving)

1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Mix 1 Tbsp dry mix with 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 3/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 tsp vinegar in the blender. Chill for 30 minutes. Store in sealed container in fridge for up to one week.

Cost comparison (16 oz): Store bought $2.49
Homemade $.75

Banana French Toast

2009-04-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was needing to use up some bananas and decided to incorporate them into our Sunday brunch. I didn't measure ingredients, so these are approximations.

Prep Time: less than 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 8-10
Cost: approx. $2.00

1 loaf of bread ($1.00)
6 eggs ($.50)
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 ripe bananas

Place eggs, milk, vanilla and bananas in a blender and blend until smooth. Dip bread into mixture, cook on non stick griddle. Top with syrup or warm vanilla cream sauce.

Find the recipe and many others at The Grocery Cart Challenge's Recipe Swap.

Spices

2009-04-06T17:57:00.000-07:00

Recently when making my own spice mixes I've just been using what is in the cupboard. Now many of these spices are needing to be replenished and I'm curious as to where to get the best price for quality on bulk spices. I've always just purchased the supermarket variety.

So, please enlighten me. Where do you buy your spices.