Fruit Crumble

I decided to post this crumble recipe because it is super versatile and economical. You can use any type of fruit that you happen to have, and the rest of the ingredients are all kitchen staples, so there’s no running to the store to pick up anything else. The recipe itself can be altered if you want a little or alot of crumbles, too!! I always use fruit that I have picked up at the store discounted, or something that I have in my kitchen that is on the verge of turning, so it doesn’t get wasted!!

EQUIPMENT NECESSARY

• 13″ x 9″ Casserole Pan
• Oven

INGREDIENTS

FILLING

• 6-7 Cups Fruit, Diced or Cut up
• 1/2 to 1 Cup Sugar (depending on how sweet you like it!)
• 2 Tsp Lemon Juice
• 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
• 1 Tsp Cinnamon, Nutmeg or Ginger (depending on the fruit you use)

CRUMBLE

• 1 Cup Quick Cook Oatmeal
• 1/2 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Cold Butter, Cut up

1. Preheat oven to 375 Degrees.
2. Combine all Filling ingredients in a bowl, and pour into 13″ x 9″ Casserole pan
3. Combine all Crumble ingredients in a bowl and mix together dry ingredients and butter with a fork until crumbly (sorry, I couldn’t resist! LOL) and pour over Filling in pan.
4. Bake 30-35 minutes until bubbling.
5. If preferred, serve warm with vanilla ice cream!! YUM!!

 

 

Supermarket Shortcuts!

Over the years I’ve been able to discover lots of different ways to change everyday grocery products into big ‘helpers’ in my kitchen. They save me time (and money!) and have made it possible for me to serve delicious meals to my family night after night. I’m sure this is a topic I will return to because I have so many items I use, I just take it for granted at this point. So for now I will start with a few, and update later. Some of them may seem obvious, or even things that you are already doing, but I want to list them here anyway, in case you haven’t thought of them!

JARRED SPAGHETTI SAUCE

OK. So you say, how can jarred sauces be economical? Yes, there are many sauces that are expensive, but if you buy the inexpensive ones (on sale), you can add your own twist to them and make them taste just as good (or better!) than the more expensive versions. I never use more than ONE jar of premade spaghetti sauce, and I always have large cans of diced and crushed tomatoes on hand to stretch it. A bottle of Wegman’s spaghetti sauce is under $1, and they come in lots of flavors. To that, you can add the canned tomatoes, then spices (garlic, basil, Italian seasoning, etc), leftover vegetables, onions and tomatoes, mushrooms (whatever you have on hand!), and have a delicious version of the (more expensive) “Chunky Garden” sauce. Add enough for a thick, delicious sauce and you have a hearty meatless spaghetti meal! Super economical and good for you too!!

POWDERED GRAVY PACKS

Gravy packs are a great way to add flavor to soups, sauces and stews. When I make beef stew,  (see recipe here), I use brown gravy mix. Just one envelope adds a really nice flavor to the meal. These gravy packs come in lots of flavors, too! I usually keep Beef, Brown, Chicken and Pork on hand so I have them for nights when I run out of flavor/sauce ideas.  I use the chicken packet when I make homemade soups, and instead of water, I add prepared bouillon (vegetable or poultry flavored) as well for lots of flavor! Grab them at the supermarket when they go on sale, and you can save even more! (I never pay more than 79 cents for them). The flavor packet aisle has lots of ideas for quick prep, so make sure you check it everytime you shop. Every now and then you’ll find an instore sale and pick them up 3 (or 4!) for just $1. AMAZING!!

PASTA or RICE PREFLAVORED BOXES (or ENVELOPES)

Preflavored rice or pasta mixes like Rice-a-Roni or Knorr can be a really nice side dish with your protein for dinner, but they can add up fast if you’re feeding a hungry crowd. As with the Sauces, I never use more than ONE of these. For the rice, I prepare an extra cup of white (or brown, if you prefer) rice along with it, add some extra spices, and we always have enough! For example, just a few nights ago I prepared a Rice Sides envelope of Butter and Herb Rice. I make it in my microwave rice cooker, so I followed the instructions for the microwave. The recipe called for 3 cups of water, but I added 1 cup of dry rice, so I added 5 cups instead (1 cup of dry rice cooks in 2 cups water). Then I added some spices I keep in my pantry all the time (see my post here). Parsley, Rosemary (just a little!) and black pepper. It did take longer to cook (instead of 15 Mins I did it for 20 and let it sit to finish) YUM! I easily doubled what I would’ve yielded from the original envelope, and it tasted just as good. You can do this with pasta as well. No matter what flavor it is, just add a little more, and be certain if you are microwaving to add extra liquid for cooking. (If you are not using the microwave, you can cook the extra pasta/rice on the stove and add it in when you finish preparing the enveloped or boxed mix). I even mix up pastas and just use whatever I have on hand!

There are so many shortcuts we can take in the kitchen, this is just the beginning! Feel free to comment below and give MORE ideas! It would be great to hear from all of you.

Happy Cooking!!

Suzy

Chicken Stir Fry

This chicken stir fry is always a big favorite in my house. One of the great things about this recipe is how versatile it is. You can make it with any leftover meat (Beef, Pork, Turkey, etc), and, you can spice it up just the way your household likes it!  I made it this time with a package of marked down chicken tenders, some fresh peppers I had bought marked down and froze, and a package of broccoli florets that were on sale for 99 cents!! The sauce I make for this is my own recipe, spiced the way we like it, but if you want it more or less spicy, than you can custom make it for your own taste! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments!!  Enjoy!!

TOTAL COST for 6 servings:  $4.07 + cost of spices

Ingredients

      

• 1 Package of Tyson Chicken Breast Tenders, or any leftover chicken, cut up into pieces
• 3 Medium sliced fresh peppers (or frozen!)
• 6 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 Package of frozen (or fresh) broccoli florets
• 2 Medium onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• SAUCE: 6 tbsp cornstarch, 9 tbsp soy sauce, 1 cup chicken bullion (prepared), 1/4 cup Jane’s Krazy Mixed-Up Sesame Spice** NOTE: If you don’t have any sesame spice, you can substitute Lemon Pepper, Garlic Powder, Parsley, or any spices you have on hand.
• Salt and Pepper

1. On high heat (my electric stove is set at 8),  add Olive Oil to bottom of 6 qt stock pot (so you have enough room to cook everything in one pot!). Add cut up chicken pieces to pan. If precooked, just sear them on each side until they are brown. If they are raw, then you will need to cook them through, so flip them every few minutes until they start to get brown on each side. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the pieces.  Remove from pan.

 

 

2. Leave the remaining oil in the pan, and add the sliced onions. Sear them until they are clear in color, and a little soft. This takes about 5 minutes.

 

 

 

3. Add celery and sear for 3 minutes, or until clear, and then add the peppers and the broccoli (all frozen) to the pan, and cover. This will let the vegetables steam while you make your sauce in a separate bowl.

 

 

 

4. In a small bowl,  add soy sauce, then bullion (already prepared into liquid), and cornstarch, all the while whisking it vigorously, to make sure the cornstarch is all broken down and not lumpy. If you don’t have a whisk, you can use a fork, but make sure you beat it well!!**TIP: If you’ve never made sauces or gravies before, the best way to explain how to mix them is as if you were beating eggs to scramble them or for an omelet. Try and get some bubbles going in there, and that will let you know you are done!

5. After steaming your vegetables and tossing them until they are soft (about 10 minutes), then add the chicken back to the pot, and toss everything together. Quickly add your sauce (remix it right before adding it to the pot to make sure it didn’t settle) and toss all of your ingredients back and forth a couple of times to make sure everything gets coated with the sauce. Remove the pan from the heat (the sauce thickens FAST!!) and keep tossing. Your dish is ready to serve!!

**THIS DISH FREEZES GREAT, SO IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVERS,

PUT THEM IN A CONTAINER FOR ANOTHER MEAL**

Sausage Alfredo Casserole

I came up with this Sausage Alfredo Casserole out of desperation on how to use up a bunch of marked down sausage that I had in my freezer. I know it doesn’t look to pretty in the picture, but it tasted really good!  It’s really easy to make, and only requires a few ingredients, so it keeps the cost way down.  And the leftovers (if you have any!) freeze really well. You can substitute your favorite vegetables, and if you don’t like Alfredo, you can put in your favorite tomato based sauce!

TOTAL COST for 6 servings:  $4.14 (packaged sauce)                   $5.13 (assuming $1.99 jarred sauce)

Ingredients

     

• 1 Package of Sweet Italian Sausage, uncooked
• 1 Package (or jar) of Alfredo Sauce (additional ingredients required to prepare)
• 1 Package of frozen Spinach
• 2 Squash, washed and diced

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES

1. Bring water to boil, add sausage and when it starts to boil again, cook sausage for about 20 minutes or until fully cooked. (Temperature should be 165 degrees to be fully cooked). Cut sausage into slices and put aside.

2. Meanwhile, prepare your Alfredo Sauce according to package directions (if you aren’t using a premade jarred sauce).

3. In a skillet, add 2 tablespoons of margarine,  and add squash and spinach. Saute for a few minutes, until vegetables are no longer frozen and starting to cook through. This takes about 10 minutes. Add prepared Alfredo Sauce to this mixture. *You can substitute tomato sauce if you prefer!

4. Add sliced sausage to mixture, and toss in some salt and pepper to taste. Then transfer to 13 x 9 inch pan (or a round casserole dish, leaving it uncovered). I use my 13 x 9 inch pan because I feel it cooks more evenly.

5. Pop in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until bubbly.

**THIS DISH FREEZES GREAT, SO IF YOU HAVE LEFTOVERS, PUT THEM IN A CONTAINER FOR ANOTHER MEAL**

Fresh Food to Have on Hand

So here we are in our last installment to ‘The Well Stocked Pantry’ series. The reason I decided to start my blog with this series is to  help you be better prepared to make most of my recipes in the most economical way.  In the ‘Refrigerated’ section, we’ll discuss the items I feel in my kitchen are essential to helping me come up with new and healthy recipes without spending extra money.The ‘Fresh’ section contains only a few items that keep well, to avoid having to make trips back and forth to the food store.

 

Refrigerator Must-Haves

• Minced Garlic: I know many cooks would be very upset with me for suggesting to use this item over fresh garlic, but for those of us who need to stay on a budget, jarred minced (or whole) garlic can be a way to have it on hand so we don’t have to do without it. Some dollar stores carry minced garlic in smaller jars, so it is very economical.
• Mustards: These come in many varieties, and I use them all! Spicy Brown, Dijon, Yellow, and Horseradish are the flavors I keep. I just grab them when they go on sale at the store, and they come in handy when I make up sauces for my meals.
• Hard Cheese: While most people always have sliced cheese for sandwiches, not everyone keeps hard cheese in their kitchen, and I feel this is a big mistake. I can think of many times when I needed just a little something else to make a dish special, and having some hard cheese on hand to shred over the final product  was just what that meal needed. And when you have kids, it can make the difference as to whether they will eat or not!
• Juices: Instead of keeping fresh lemons and limes (which can be pretty pricey and tend to spoil quickly), I always have a bottle of lemon juice and lime juice available. These juices usually don’t have any added sugar, and make great citrus marinades to tenderize chicken, pork or beef. They are reasonably priced at your local supermarket, usually only costing around $1 to $2 a bottle, and lasting at least 2 months.
• Salsa: If  I can, I try to make my own salsa, mainly because jarred salsas can get pretty pricey to cook with. To make a meal with them, you usually have to use a whole jar, and that can add $2 or $3 to your meal, which in my meals, would practically double the price!! I like to keep it on hand though, as it is very helpful when you’ve run out of canned or fresh tomatoes. Just remember it isn’t an essential, but if you see it on sale (particularly in the large bottle), make sure you grab it to save on being left without a sauce!!
• The Usual: These items are the typical things that most people have in the refrigerator-Milk, Butter, Eggs.  I really don’t use these items very often (butter more than the others), but they are handy to have when creating dishes.

 

Fresh Items

• Onions: I use these in practically every dish I make, so I always make sure I have at least 3 on hand at all times. I’ve found that it is cheaper to buy them in the 3lb (or if you can find it, the 5lb) netted bags, where you can get anywhere from 8 to 10 in a bag. Choose carefully, though, as they tend to spoil quickly!
• Celery: Before we started our low carb lifestyle, I never kept celery, but now I use it quite often. It’s not too expensive, and if you keep it refrigerated, it stays good for about a month. I purchase it marked down as well, because even if it’s a little limped, you can still cook with it.
• Tomatoes: During the summer months, I go through a TON of tomatoes. Whenever I find them marked down, I buy them all, because it saves me from using up my pantry kept canned tomatoes. This is another item that you can buy mushy (but not too mushy…you can only salvage them up to a certain point). A great money saver!
• Seasonal Fruit and Vegetables: One of my biggest money savers is when I purchase any fruit that is marked down and bring it home to cook with. Peaches, pears, apples, oranges…you name it, whatever is in season you can usually find marked down. I just picked these marked down apples up yesterday at the store. With apples on sale for $1.69/lb, I found this 3lb bag for just $1.74!! I see homemade applesauce in our future recipes, paired along with a beautiful pork loin (that was marked down, of course!!) 

This is true for vegetables too.  Eggplant, Squash, Zucchini, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Spinach…the list just goes on and on.

 

As you will see from my recipes, I use a variety of ingredients, and that is mostly due to the fact that I plan my meals around whatever I can find marked down and need to use it up fast!  Make sure you keep that in mind when making your meals, because if you need to go out and purchase the ingredients without getting them on sale, you will wind up spending too much on your meals.

Now that we know what we need to have in our kitchen, we will be moving on to some great money saving grocery shopping ideas that I use all the time. After all, we don’t want to overspend stocking our kitchen, as that will lead to the price of our meals skyrocketing!  If you would like to be informed (by email) when my next post is up, just hit the “Follow” button on the right. And if you have any questions, please feel free to comment. I would love to hear from you!

Your Spice Rack

I’ve decided to start at the beginning, and have my first few posts let you know what items I keep in my pantry and refrigerator at all times. These items are essential to have on hand so that you can create your own recipes (or use mine!). Many of these items are handy for creating your own sauces as well. Store bought jarred sauces are expensive and full of sugar, so making them yourself will let you know exactly what (and how much) ingredients you are eating. I am pretty sure that I will be updating this list often, so you’ll want to check back!

DRY SPICES and HERBS:  Most of these are available at any Dollar Store, so they are a very inexpensive way to stock your kitchen.  Just in case you are just stocking your kitchen for the first time, I’ve starred (*) the items that I consider ‘starter spices’, just to get you going!

• Salt/Pepper*: I know that this one seems pretty obvious, but when I first started cooking, I just kept my salt and pepper on the dinner table. Now I have a separate pair that I use to flavor with.
• Basil/Oregano*: If you want, you can do a 2 for 1 on this in the Spice Classics brand, and just get the Italian Seasoning, which is a combo of the two of these.
• Adobo: This is a combo spice of garlic, oregano and black pepper and is available from Goyo. It’s certainly not an essential, but does come in handy. So if you see it on sale at your local market, pick it up!
• Parsley*: I mostly use this on salads and in soups. Definitely a must have.
• Garlic Powder*: As opposed to garlic salt, which I do not use. Too salty for my taste.
• Chili Flavoring*: This is also available in packets for individual meal use, but that comes out to be way to expensive, so I just buy the bottle for a buck, and add a few more spices to my chili. Also great for sloppy joes!
• Ginger: This is one of those spices that I usually forget I have, but it does add a nice flavor when going for an asian flair.
• Paprika: Another spice that I don’t often use, so I will be experimenting with it more.
• Rosemary: I have just recently discovered this, (I couldn’t get it at the Dollar Store), and it has a very strong flavor. Use with caution. I messed up an experimental chicken recipe with this one night.
• Dill: Another spice to be careful with. I know it has a powerful effect on a dish.
• Cinnamon*: Not just for cinnamon toast!! I use cinnamon quite often to cook meals with, especially since we have added more fruits to our diet.
• Nutmeg: Like cinnamon, a great addition to a meat (particularly pork)/fruit recipe. Use sparingly though.

So now you know my spice rack. I have a few more things in there, like flavored salts that I picked up at the store marked down to $1.29 each, but I really don’t use them often, as I’m not a big fan of using alot of salt in my recipes. But they do have a nice flavor, so I’ll hang onto them.