Eating dandelion flower tops?

Dandelions....most gardeners detest this weed, But, did you know you can not only eat the greens but, the flower head is edible as well? Yep! Dandelions are in the perennial family. They are often referred to as weeds. Each dandelion has a bright yellow flower head that grows on a long skinny, hollow stem. The flower head can change from bright yellow to white seeds overnight. Now, never have eaten dandelion flower heads before I was a bit skeptical on serving fried dandelions flowers for my dinner table however, my niece and sister was telling me how yummy and good these were dipped in egg, dredged in flour and then fried in butter. My Dad said they tasted like mushrooms. We haven't found any of these wonderful fungi yet....I do see lots of yellow dandelion flower heads though. That did it! I would try these flower heads and serve them with my meal tonight. My sister and I picked a bunch today. I took them home. I first soaked them in salt water for 15 to 20 minutes.
I then rinsed them well. dipped in egg,
rolled in flour
and then fried them in butter until golden brown.
I wasn't sure how DH was going to take eating these flower heads and as I expected, he wasn't the least thrilled about this. He did eat 4 of them and said that was enough for him. I ate about the same. They were edible but to tell you the truth they did not taste like mushrooms. A little disappointment but hey, we tried. Fried dandelion flower heads on our dinner table again? Well, not unless we were totally starving. If I want mushroom taste i will eat real mushrooms! Okay maybe not. But, hey, go ahead appreciate them for what they are worth. Harvest them then fry them up for yourself you may be surprised. Word of caution though, Do not eat dandelions from lawns that have been chemically treated. My sister and I picked these in a field by my Dads house.

Menu Plan Monday 2/7

You guessed it! It's Monday, time for another round of menu planning for this week. I've got an unusually busy week planned. My dad and I will be getting together for a couple of days to make elderberry/grape jelly. The elderberries and grapes were some we picked this last summer. I put the elderberries in the freezer and my dad made juice from the grapes and put them in his freezer. At the time we thought this was best as dad's hip was really bad and we had so much other canning and freezing in the works. We figured this winter was the best time to make jelly; and together we should have some awesome jelly! At our local Meijer store this past week, they had the Ball brand pectin for 75 cents a box, marked down from $1.50. The expiration date is dated 2013. Between my dad's purchase and my purchases, we should have enough pectin to put up jelly for the next 2 years! This was a good price for sure and couldn't of come at a better time when we needed some for this jelly. My menu for this week looks like this..

MONDAY
chili
homemade bread
yellow cake w/milk chocolate frosting

TUESDAY
veggie omelets
sweeter muffins w/ jelly*
apple sauce

WEDNESDAY
beef sirloin steak w/baby spinach*
glazed carrots
mashed potatoes

THURSDAY
french meat pie*
green beans

FRIDAY
crunchy apple salad
beef pattie melts

SATURDAY
leftovers

SUNDAY
defend for ourselves!

Now, if you go to organizing junkie, you will see many yummy menus for inspiration!

Sweeter Muffins
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted shortening
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Grease bottoms of muffin cups. Beat egg slightly with a fork. Measure and stir in milk and oil. Measure and blend flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add all at once to liquid mixture. Stir just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Wipe off any spilled batter and place pan in center or preheated 350 degree oven. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. remove to a cooling rack. Serve piping hot. Makes 12 muffins


Beef Sirloin Steak w/baby spinach
prep time 20 min. cook time 20 min. makes 4 servings

2 Tbls. olive oil
1 boneless beef sirloin steak, 3/4: thick (about 1lb), cut into 4 pieces
1 lg onion, sliced
1 small red pepper, chopped
3 cloves, garlic, minced
1 can (103/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water 2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
1 Tbls chopped fresh rosemary leaves or 1 tsp. dried rosemary leaves crushed
1 bag ( about 7 oz) fresh baby spinach
hot mashed potatoes

Heat 1 Tbls oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook until well browned on both sides. Remove beef from skillet. Pour off fat.
Heat remaining oil in skillet, add onion and pepper and cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally, Add garlic and cook until vegetables are tender crisp, stirring often.
Stir in soup, water, vinegar and rosemary in skillet and heat to a boil. Return beef to skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in spinach. Cover and cook for 2 minutes or until desired doneness. Serve beef and vegetable mixture with potatoes.

French meat pie

2 Tbls. cooking
1 lg onion, thinly sliced
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
pastry for double crust pie (9 inches)
1 egg beaten opt.

In a skillet, heat oil over medium.Saute onion until tender. Remove and set aside. Brown beef and pork together. Drain, Combine onion, meat, potatoes, and seasonings. Line pie plate with pastry. Fill with meat mixture. Top with crust. Seal and flute edges. Make slits in top crust. Brush with egg if desired. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown yield 6-8 servings


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Menu Plan Monday 1/31

I am a bit late but, DH and I went to town this morning for a few supplies. The weather forecast is predicting snow and lots of it! ....Grrrrrr..When ever people hear a snowstorm is coming, as always, the grocery store does a booming business. I am thinking this morning I was just as guilty. I am sure with all I have in the freezer and pantry, DH and I could eat well for awhile if we did get snowed in for a spell. We had to go to town for other business so it made sense to stop at the store for a few things we needed while we were in town anyhow. Yesterday the sun was shining ever so bright and it made me hunger for spring ever so much...sigh...Heres what I came up with for this weeks menu. For more menu ideas stop by organizing junkie.

MONDAY
pulled pork sandwiches
michigan baked beans ( this is my sisters recipe. It's new for me and I am so anxious to try it out)
carrot and celery sticks

TUESDAY
pan fried bluegill( DH has been ice fishing about every day so we have been getting an abundance of this fish)
green salad
baked sweet potato fries

WEDNESDAY
salsa chicken
corn cakes with fresh corn and chives
bread pudding ( this is a great way to use all those crust or odds and ends of bread that need used up)

THURSDAY
chicken/veggie stir fry w/brown rice
tapioca pudding

FRIDAY
blueberry pancakes
sausage

SATURDAY
pork chops
glazed carrots
baked potato

SUNDAY
Defend for ourselves!

Michigan baked beans

16 oz (2 cups) dry navy beans
2 Quarts cold water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
4 oz salt pork, bacon,or ham ( may substitute a half cup of butter or shortening if your'e going meat free)
1 med. yellow onion

Rinse beans, add to water in a saucepan. Bring to boiling and simmer 2 minutes; remove from heat. Cover; let stand 1 hour ( or let beans to cold water and soak overnight)
Add salt to beans and water; cover and simmer until beans are tender; about 1 hour. Drain, reserving liquid. Measure 2 cups liquid, adding water if needed; mix with molasses, brown sugar, and mustard. Cut salt pork in half, score one half. Grind or thinly slice remainder.
In 2 quart bean pot or cassarole, combine beans, onion and ground salt pork. Pour molasses mixture over. Top with scored pork. Cover; bake in 300 degree F oven for 5 to 7 hours. Add more liquid if needed. Makes 8 servings

NOTE* I just cooked the dry beans for awhile and added everything together in crockpot. I also used bacon in the place of salt pork. It is cooking and it is starting to smell AMAZING!

Bread Pudding

3 eggs
3 cups of milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4-1 cup of sugar ( depending on your taste preference and amount of bread used)
dash of salt
dry or old bread
1 tsp cinnamon
raisins (optional)
Mix together all ingredients except for the cinnamon in a cassarole or baking pan. Size depends on how much bread you have
Sprinkle cinnamon on top
Bake at 350 degree F oven for about 45 minutes. Poke with knife, if it comes out clean then it's done. Baking time varies.
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My Noodle Adventure

As I promised, I want to share with you my noodle adventure. In my effort to eat more whole foods, eating healthier and saving dollars on our grocery bill. I decided to try my hand at making noodles. This noodle making thing was a whole new challenge for me. Making noodles isn't really hard. DH and I love homemade noodles but, I never considered making them because I thought....well..just that...Hard! We always bought our noodles at the store and if we wanted homemade we would buy from the local Amish. There are many recipes out there but, this is the recipe I used. This simple recipe requires only flour, eggs,salt, baking powder, and water. How simple is that? To start I took 4 beaten eggs with 2-3 Tbls. water. In another bowl I took 3 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. baking powder; mix together......I then made a well in center of flour mixture and poured my beaten eggs into the well....

I stirred in the flour mixture by hand until a soft dough formed. Does it look a bit on the dry side? Yup, looks like it to me.

I continue to roll out the dough into a very thin layer on a lightly floured surface and I cut into 1/2 inch strips.

After cutting in strips, the noodles need to dry at least 4 hours before using. I hung my noodles over chairs on a towel. I was told that if you do not use right away, you should put them in the freezer until you are ready to use them ( I did this) as they will mold otherwise.

So there you have it...My noodle adventure! I suppose I am just being critical of myself but, these noodles just don't look pretty. The Amish noodles we buy don't look like this.This won't stop me from making them again because there is no rule that says they have to look perfect or pretty to taste good!

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Cooking from scratch

Who has time to cook anymore? Well, unfortunately this is the reality in many homes. Many of us have abandoned our kitchens for faster food which means that we are not choosing healthy whole foods anymore. This is sad. Have you ever noticed unfortunately people are brainwashed by the media into thinking that they don't have time to cook, and they don't have time to eat together? This is really sad Cooking from scratch doesn't have to be complicated, and it certainly will result in a healthier diet. People have different opinions on what exactly "from scratch" means. Well, scratch for me means getting your hands a little dirty, spending some time over the stove and at the cutting board and using whole ingredients to start. From now on, I am hoping to prepare healthy nutritious meals using only basic ingredients. My overall plan is to reduce my dependence on buying the food we eat hence, saving money and preparing healthier meals. Remember convenience comes with a price! Growing up my mother used to make her own butter, maple syrup, spaghetti sauce ect. and even her own soap. She did this all from scratch. She always had a large garden and grew all her own vegetables and canned and froze what we didn't eat fresh. We had our own milk fresh from the cow and raised our own beef, pork chicken and eggs. This was a benefit from having a father who was a farmer. With six children in the family, and one income, my parents had to make the most of their food dollar. My mother would not have dreamed making boxed macaroni and cheese for the family. Many prepared foods, whether from the drive thru or a microwave safe package, contain a myriad of unhealthy ingredients. Don't let cooking from scratch intimidate you. Once you start you will be glad you did. My thought is, why should I pay strangers to gather, cook, assemble my package meals when I can do it myself for pennies on the dollar, with a much lower fat content and a higher vitamin content.
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Menu Plan Monday 1/17

Oh my! I weighed myself for the first time since the holidays. Gasp! I gained 5lbs! Statics say that this is typical amount of weight gain between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am guessing if you look at it this way, however for me 5lbs is 5lbs too many!I need to get back on the bandwagon again I worked too hard last year to shed this weight! after all, I got a skinny pair of jeans ( size smaller) for Christmas that I promised I would be able to get into by spring. This is my incentive anyway. Coming up with meals is hard when I want everything healthy, low calorie and the DH is well, unhealthy. This man could live on just hot dogs, bacon, bologna. Yes! he eats hot dogs for snack food, cold, right out of the refrigerator. Seriously, 1 lb. of hot dogs doesn't last the night. I am thinking nitrate overload! Anyways, I've come up with a menu we can both be satisfied with. Oh! and be sure to visit organizing junkie for more menu ideas and while you are there hook up with her.

MONDAY

omelets veggie for me)

raggedy Ann cinnamon chip muffins*

canned peaches

TUESDAY

macaroni and cheese

green beans

raisin bread pudding

WEDNESDAY

salmon with garlic butter sauce

brown rice

steamed broccoli

THURSDAY

chicken and noodles

butternut squash

FRIDAY

Happy Birthday To Me!

DH is taking me out!

SATURDAY

Swiss steak

mashed potatoes

green tossed salad

SUNDAY

Defend for ourselves!

Raggedy Ann Cinnamon Chip Muffins

These muffins are made with cinnamon baking chips. In the high heat of the oven. ( the oven is set to 425 degrees) the cinnamon chips melt leaving swirls of cinnamon through the muffins. With all that melted cinnamon, the tops are often roughen and ragged and hence the name Raggedy Ann cinnamon chip muffins. These are very good muffins.

This recipe makes 10 large, well domed muffins or 12 smaller ones.

2 lg. eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1/3 cup whole rolled oats

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup cinnamon chips

For the topping

2 tbls. sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin pan

Whisk the eggs together in a small bowl. Add the butter milk and vanilla. Set aside. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients. Stir only until combined. Add the cinnamon chips. Drop the batter into the greased muffin cups. Mix the 2 tbls. sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon together. Spoon the cinnamon sugar over the muffins. Place the muffin pan in the oven Immediately turn the temperature down to 375 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes or until done. Baking times will vary depending on how well your oven holds heat. Cool the muffins on a wire rack.

Freezer Slaw

What do you do when you acquire 3 very large bags of chopped cabbage? You make freezer slaw of course! My nephew works at a fast food place and at the end of the night if there is food left, the employees get the option of taking it home or the restaurant just throws the food away. The same principle applies to food that is about to expire or expired,. The employees can take if wanted or the food goes in the dumpster. Gasp! There is nothing wrong with the food and is perfectly good even if beyond a day or two. So here we were sitting with 3 very large bags of chopped cabbage and 1 very large bag of shredded lettuce. Since this is perfectly good food yet but, needs to be used soon, I have to make something with it quick. I had already made slaw for our supper Monday so, unless I want to eat cabbage morning noon and night and have the cleanest colon in the neighborhood. I will have to freeze all this cabbage. *Freezer slaw makes perfect since. I have this wonderful recipe I have had for years. It is easy and very delicious. Keep in mind, I used 1/2 of a large bag of chopped cabbage to equal a large head of cabbage. The recipe doesn't call for onions but you can add red onions.

*FREEZER SLAW
1 cabbage
1 carrot
1 sweet pepper (I used frozen green pepper)
1 tsp. salt
1 cup vinegar
2 cups sugar ( I only use 1 1/2 cup at the most)
1/2 water
1tsp mustard seed
Chop cabbage, carrot, and pepper. Cover with salt and let set for 1 hour. Squeeze the salt and water out of cabbage. Mix vinegar, sugar, water and mustard seed in 2 qt. pot. Bring to boil and boil 3 minutes, let cool. Pour over cabbage, stir well, let stand 3 minutes. Freeze

I froze 10 quarts of slaw. This will be good eating this winter and beyond to go with all the bluegill we have in our freezer.

I am still here

Yes, I am still here. I haven't had much time to write any postings as I have been way too occupied with my garden. canning, freezing and so forth. So, I apologize. You know how that can be. When the garden produce is ready, it really can't wait. Every year I try to can and freeze as much as I can for the winter. We never know from one year to the next about DH's job in the winter. DH is usually laid off but, I can remember the one year it took 9 weeks before unemployment paid him. This can be a nightmare if you don't have a stockpile to refer to. I am canning tomatoes at the moment along with tomato juice. I use alot of this stuff. I have canned up green beans, zucchini relish, sweet pickle relish, cucumber sandwich pickles. I froze zucchini some shredded for bread and muffins and some sliced for sauteing, green peppers, sweet banana peppers, blueberries, and strawberries. Yesterday I dried some fresh sweet basil in the oven on warm heat. I was getting a bit low on this wonderful herb. This week and next I will be making Sweet Anne's lace jelly* and grape jelly and maybe can up some peaches. I also have some sweet pickles in the making and pickled beets on the agenda. I figure this is going to all taste good this winter along with the venison DH gets every year. It would be nice to stock up on everything including your meat where in the winter all you would have to buy is your perishables like milk and eggs. It is a really nice thought, I guess it's been a dream of mine. I have been going fishing some with DH and earlier with my dad this summer I have a good quantity of bluegill built up in the freezer now as well . If the winter goes like last year, DH never found the chance to go ice fishing and use any of his 64 ice fishing poles. What a shame! Sorry honey! There is many benefits to stocking up on food and other daily needs. Some of them are surprisingly intangible. There is a certain peace that comes from knowing that your home is well enough stocked to get you through a few months of anything. I hate the cold winter and the last thing I want to do is mega shopping in a snowstorm. Here is my recipe for Queen Anne's Lace Jelly. Queen anne's lace is also known as wild carrot and you can find this weed anywhere, in your yard, along the roadside, fields, ect. This jelly is so good.
Queen Anne's Lace Jelly*
4 cups of water
18 Large queen anne's lace flower heads
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 pkg powdered pectin
3 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbls sugar
red food coloring (optional)
Bring water to a boil and remove from heat. Add the flower heads pushing them down into the water. Cover and steep for 30 min. Remove the lid and let the mixture cool. Slightly about 15 min. Strain the liquid through a dampened cheesecloth, discarding the flower heads. Measure out 3 cups of the liquid into a 4-6 quart pan. Add the lemon juice and pectin and bring to a rolling a boil. Stir constant (very important) add the sugar, stir constant and cook until the mixture returns to a rolling boil. Boil 1 min. longer. Remove from the heat. Add enough red food color (2 drops) If using to tint the jelly pink, then skim off any foam. Pour into sterile jars leaving 1/4 inch head space, with damp cloth, remove any spills from the rim and thread of the jars. Process in hot water bath for 5 min. * makes approx. 6 jelly jars

Busy as a bee

Earlier this week I mentioned I was going to play catch up. That's exactly what I have been doing. Having many undone tasks can only make things confusing and it really feels good to finally get caught up some. I have been busy doing things all day, doing, doing, doing, busy as a bee, flying from one project to another hoping to accomplish alot in my hive of activity. DH tilled our garden a couple of days ago and yesterday I couldn't wait to dig my hands in the soil and plant. I planted 2 hills of zucchini, 2 hills of summer yellow crookneck squash, 10 hills of potatoes, carrots, lettuce(leaf), spinach, green onions,thyme, dill, mesclum salad mix, chives and regular onions. I am waiting to plant my green beans, tomatoes, green and red peppers, sweet banana peppers, cucumbers and whatever else I decide. This weekend the temps are supposed to dip down in the thirty's at night. I have some flowers I need to plant and so I will wait a few days to plant them as well. Speaking of flowers my Iris's and peony's are bursting with blooms. I am afraid the lilacs around here are about done. It's a shame, they smell soooo.....good and they are here today, gone tomorrow. Who doesn't love fresh asparagus or a homemade rhubarb pie. I picked another bunch of asparagus from our bed and have enough now for dinner someday next week. I also picked some rhubarb and will make a fresh rhubarb pie tomorrow morning for our dinner tomorrow night. yummy! okay, I know I am on a diet, but, I can have a tiny piece maybe? This pie was to be made yesterday but, I never got to it. Our three sheds are just about all painted. We have just one more to. It's starting to look pretty good around the place now. DH says this weekend sounds like a good weekend weather wise to start painting inside the house. As you can see, it's been buzzing around here! Here is the recipe I use for my fresh rhubarb pie. It is absolutely delicious especially with a cup of coffee. Enjoy! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fresh-Rhubarb-Pie/Detail.aspx
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Menu Plan Monday

Hope you all had a great Easter! We had my sister over for dinner. This is the first time we haven't had all the kids and that is because this year with our tiny place and all the yard sale stuff everywhere crammed in every possible space in the house, I didn't have the room for everyone. I also did a twist this year from my norm by grilling ham steaks instead of my usual spiral ham. Everything turned out perfect and it was a beautiful day. My dad stopped in for coffee in the afternoon and my brother in law and his wife surprised us by stopping by. The next 2 weeks I am going to be busy as ever getting the rest of my yard sale stuff around as I hope to have my sale the 15th, 16th, and 17th weather permitting. I know it will get here quick. This weeks menu is also quick as well as easy. Some of it isn't very diet friendly and therefor will have to watch my portions. It is just the 2 of us so I don't spend alot time in the kitchen. this weeks menu looks like this:

MONDAY

chicken corden blu

potato salad ( leftover from Easter)

steamed asparagus (leftover from Easter)

TUESDAY

(It's breakfast for dinner)

ham steak (leftover from Easter)

eggs

fried potatoes( make extra for Wednesdays dinner)

WEDNESDAY

grilled pork chops

peas

fried potatoes

THURSDAY

Out!

FRIDAY

cheese stuffed rigatoni

tossed green salad

SATURDAY

chicken and veggie stir fry with brown rice

SUNDAY

On our own today!

Be sure to visit here for more menu plans!

Menu Plan Monday

My self esteem has soared 3 fold this past weekend! My hubby told me he could tell I was losing weight. Well, quite frankly I didn't believe him as I thought my DH was just being nice. To tell you the truth, I have felt better but weight loss? nawwww! My brother in law from Indianapolis stopped in yesterday and out of the blue he told me I looked like I had lost some weight. hugh? He doesn't know I am dieting neither.Well I must be doing something right and you can bet I will continue doing what I'm doing. This is great news for me. Losing excess body fat has not been an easy task for me. I am determined to lose this blubber once and for all. After I injured my back I couldn't exercise, let alone move around for 2 months! I am trying to slowly incorporate exercise in my everyday routine. Springtime needs to arrive soon so I can start walking daily outside.

Making smart healthy choices and watching my portions will be the same. My menu this week is just that while keeping costs down and using what I have on hand.

MONDAY

chili ( made with venison)

cornbread

TUESDAY

Baked lemon chicken

steamed california blend(broccoli,cauliflower, carrots)

tossed green salad

WEDNESDAY

chicken and noodles

green beans

apple sauce

THURSDAY

low fat shepherds pie

fruit of some kind and or jello

FRIDAY

chicken stir fry

brown rice

SATURDAY

mini meatloaves

mashed potatoes

steamed peas

SUNDAY

on our own today!

Go to organized junkie for more amazing menus and recipes!

Menu Plan Monday

I had an amazing week and an amazing weekend! I am dying to tell you about it! I will give you the details later. I have been prioritizing my health. Going down this healthy path hasn't been easy, but, I am feeling better already. I hope I can maintain the momentum with this healthier lifestyle. One thing is for sure, springtime is just around the corner (even though you can't tell by looking outside at the moment) and at last, the perils of the winter snow are behind us. Ahem! ( well mostly) and I am looking forward to getting in some good outdoors time once again. This is my menu this week.

MONDAY

Baked chicken

asparagus

brown rice

TUESDAY

out?

WEDNESDAY

vegetable soup

grilled cheese

applesauce

THURSDAY

Breakfast for dinner with

omelets (veggie for me)

toast (whole wheat for me)

fruit

FRIDAY

Easy salmon cakes

tossed green salad

rice pilaf with peas

SATURDAY

Oven BBQ pork chops

cornbread

coleslaw

SUNDAY

On our own!

Be sure to check out organizing junkie for more menu ideas and recipes. Bon Appetite!

Menu Plan Monday

I miss you guys so much. I just had to try to write a posting. Thank you so much to all of you for all of your prayers. I feel a bit better although I am so limited to what I can do. DH still has to help me dress and bathe in the morning. I can walk with a cane. Mornings seem to be very rough for me. My back spasms are leaving and few and far between now. They say once you injure your back all it takes is maybe a sharp turn or bend to cause spasms. Its natures way to repair the muscles. I am taking 1- 250 mg magnesium supplement every day which supposed to help nerve and muscle function as well as 2- 400 mg of Valerian to relax my muscles at night. Applying heat with a heating pad as well. I haven't been to a doctor yet nor a chiropractor but by the end of this week if I do not get significantly better I will be making a chiropractor appointment. I have improved though. Anyways DH has been doing the cooking. Our pantry and fridge was getting a bit bare. I was finally able to get some groceries. It was getting a bit difficult to come up with anything easy to prepare that DH could prepare. His idea on easy is Mc Donalds , Taco Bell or carry out from our favorite restaurant and that is not very frugal and got to be very pricey. I kept thinking of all the food I could buy with what he spent on 2 meals for us from the restaurant. I mean it was literally driving me crazy so, we now with actual food in the house we can make easy, frugal meals without spending a fortune and I must say taste way much better and healthier too. So the menu this week at my house with my DH cooking looks like this and then be sure to check here for more meal ideas.

Monday- cube steak, mashed potatoes, peas

Tuesday- Baked chicken stuffed with wild rice, tossed green salad ( lettuce, avocado, cucumber and tomato)

Wednesday- Beef stew ( in crock pot), homemade bread ( using frozen bread dough to make it easier for DH)

Thursday- Pizza ( 1/2 veggie for me and 1/2 with meat for DH)

Friday- sloppy joe sandwiches, celery and carrot sticks, fresh fruit or tapioca pudding

Saturday- leftovers

Sunday On our own ( whatever DH fixes me)

Christmas Candy

I was making Christmas candy today and I thought I would share some of it with you. These two recipes I make every Christmas. They are very frugal and very simple and oh so good! These are so easy to make a child can easily make or help make.



*Microwave Rocky Road Fudge



6 oz. semi sweet chocolate chips

6 oz. butterscotch chips

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 cups mini marshmallows

1/2 cup salted peanuts (opt)



Place chips and peanut butter in 2 qt. bowl, microwave on high uncovered 2-2-1/2 min. until softened. Stir until melted smooth. Stir in marshmallows and peanuts until evenly coated. Spread in 8x8x2 buttered pan. Refridgereate until firm at least 1 hr. cut in squares.





*No name really, very addictive!



Take cherry twizzlers ( I use strawberry)

cut 2-3 inches in length

dip in melted chocolate

Yummy, taste like chocolate covered cherries

Pumpkin pie from scratch and freezing pumpkin filling

Okay, I know it is sooooo much easier to open a can of pumpkin to make your pumpkin pie.* I was given 16 pie pumpkins! Gasp! What am I to do with so many of them? If anyone knows me at all I'm not going to let all these little pumpkins go to waste. Solution? Cook them up, scoop the pumpkin glop out of shell. Freeze the pumpkin glop for pies, muffins, bread ect. My DH has been after me for weeks about making a pumpkin pie* from total scratch, start to finish .He claims it is soooooo much tastier. Now, I'm not sure about that but, finally DH will be very happy with his pie I plan to make for Thanksgiving. I have 5 of the pumpkins cooked and 11 to go. I have enough pumpkin glop for 8 pies right now (1- 1/2 cups) makes 1 pie. Now that I've done this many so far. I realize it's really easy. It's just your time. To begin.... wash pumpkin, chop in half, scrape out all the seeds and stringy goodness. You can reserve the seeds for roasting, and even planting. My hope is to plant some next year, then I will have these beautiful pie pumpkins again. Plus, no pumpkin cost. Now, that's a deal! I then placed both pieces cut side down on a baking sheet and placed in a 350 degree oven for about 1 hour. You will know when it is done by sticking your fork in it. It needs to be very soft. The microwave works also. Microwave about 25-30 min. Once the pumpkin is done cooking it should fall right out of the skin. Using a spoon, scoop it all out into a large mixing bowl. Mix the pumpkin until it is smooth and creamy. Your pumpkin filling is ready to freeze or use right away.

* Pumpkin pie ( from scratch) makes 2 pies

First whip up your favorite crust ( or I guess you can use store bought) Gasp!
1- 9 inch pie pumpkin ( this will actually make enough pumpkin glop for 2 pies) or 1-1/2 cups pumpkin glop
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
18 oz or 1-1/2 cans of evaporated milk
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice ( if you do not have pumpkin pie spice, you can use allspice, ginger, ground clove)
2 tsp cinnamon
Add in all the ingredients and mix well. your final product will be very runny. Don't worry...it will thicken up in the cooking process. Put your pie crust in your pie pan, and pour in your pumpkin filling. Do not overfill..it makes a mess!
Bake for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Then turn it down to 350 degrees and bake for 45-60 more minutes. It will be done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Menu Plan Monday

Good Morning, and welcome to another Menu Plan Monday! We have so much in the freezer right now and I really need to get some things used up. Hunting season is just about upon us and I really need to clear some things out to make room for more venison. With this in mind this is our menu plan this week....

MONDAY- Stuffed green peppers*, cheesy potatoes, apple crisp

TUESDAY- Meat loaf, baked potatoes, corn (oops, I was supposed to have this last Friday but didn't)

WEDNESDAY- Vegetable soup, grilled cheese, fruit

THURSDAY- Blueberry pancakes, sausage

FRIDAY- Cabbage stew with pork steak, homemade bread

SATURDAY- We are going to the apple fest! We are pigging out on whatever!

SUNDAY- On our own!

For more menu plan ideas check out http://orgjunkie.com/

Stuffed Green Peppers*

5 to 6 med. green peppers

3/4 cup uncooked brown rice

1lb. lean ground beef

1 med onion, chopped

1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

pepper to taste

Remove tops and seeds from peppers. In a large kettle, bring water to boil; cook peppers for 5 minutes. Remove and drain. Cook rice according package instructions. In a skillet, brown beef and onion. Drain and add tomato sauce, herbs, salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes. Stir in rice. Stuff peppers with the rice mixture. Place upright in a shallow baking dish or casserole. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes. Yield 5 -6 servings If cooking for two: Leftover peppers will freeze well to enjoy later.

Apple crisp and Rice pudding recipe

I have been extremely busy this morning since I didn't get all these veggies and apples I accumulated yesterday done or even started. Since I didn't have room in the refrigerator for any of these, this was a task I needed and wanted to get done today. I froze 6 quarts of carrots. I saved a bunch for later use to use as fresh. I also made an *apple crisp with the apples and *rice pudding ( from scratch, hey what the heck, I was on a roll here) I froze 4 quart bags of green pepper and saved a few choice nice ones to make stuffed green peppers with .As for the 2 huge heads of cabbage, I'm still not sure what to as of yet. I have really felt blessed this week when it comes to food. I am so thankful! I thought I would share my *rice pudding and* apple crisp recipe. Enjoy!



*Apple crisp

Place in buttered 10x6x2 baking dish 4 cups sliced apples. Sprinkle with 1 tsp Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 cup water
Rub together 3/4 cup flour 1/3 cup butter, 1 cup sugar
Drop mixture over apples. Bake 350 degrees about 40 min. Serve warm with cream



*Rice pudding

1 cup white long grain rice
2- 1/2 cups water
Cook this in a rice steamer. If you don't have a steamer cook according to package directions in a saucepan.

In a large pan or dutch oven combine 4 cups whole milk ( I use 2%) 2 egg yolks ( whisk together with milk) 3/4 cup sugar, 4 Tbls. butter, 1/2 cup raisins, optional.

Simmer for about 10 min., stirring constantly until slightly thickened

Add 2 tsp. vanilla and juice of 1/2 lemon
----------------------------------------
Brown sugar and nutmeg on top
Pour into a 2 quart serving dish. Sprinkle with brown sugar and nutmeg. Serve warm or cold. Keep leftovers in refrigerator.

Note: You do not bake the rice pudding in the oven!

MENU PLAN MONDAY

I missed planning a menu last week so, I am really glad to be back this week. I have been going through the freezer to use up some food I have had froze for awhile. I am especially glad to get the turkey out of there as it really needs to get used up. Here's what I am planning for dinners this week....

MONDAY- leftover lasagna

garlic bread

TUESDAY- out???

WEDNESDAY- grilled pork chops

rice

harvard beets

THURSDAY- macaroni and cheese (Kraft) I am cheating tonight

little smokies

green beans

FRIDAY - roasted turkey

mashed potatoes

broccoli

SATURDAY-* quick and easy turkey casserole

peach cobbler

SUNDAY- on our own!

* Quick and Easy Turkey Casserole

3 cups cooked turkey, cooked,cubed

1 package of frozen mixed veggies

1 (10-12 oz) can of cream of chicken soup

1 (10-12 oz) can of cream of celery soup

1 10 count can of refrigerator biscuits

Combine both cans of soup in a bowl with one can of water. Thaw the veggies in the microwave. Place the turkey in a casserole with half of the soup mixture. Add the veggie mixture and cover with the remaining soup mixture. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly Place the individual biscuit's on top of the casserole and bake until the biscuits are done.

MENU PLAN MONDAY

I can't tell you how much we are enjoying summer's garden bounty! Here is what we will be having this week!

MONDAY- goulash, fresh cucumbers sliced in a buttermilk dressing with sliced onion, (choice) peach or zucchini pie


TUESDAY- pork chops, fried potatoes, fresh green beans


WEDNESDAY- egg salad sandwiches, fresh tomato and cucumbers, fresh cantaloupe


THURSDAY- Out to dinner


FRIDAY taco salad, strawberry/banana smoothies


SATURDAY- whole chicken on rotisserie on the grill, pasta salad, veggies


SUNDAY- on our own!

For more meal plans check outhttp://orgjunkie.com/

A very busy and productive weekend

I had a very busy and productive weekend. We fished out on the lake and caught 21 total, 7-8" bluegill These are now all put away in the freezer. Hubby bought some fresh peaches at a roadside stand in town and so I baked a fresh peach pie. I haven't made one of these for awhile. It was so very yummy. Besides the peach pie I made a zucchini pie for the first time. ( I have loads of zucchini to use) I froze 2 quart bags of beets. baked 6 loaves of zucchini bread, 4 blueberry and 2 plain. These are also in the freezer for later use. I also canned 14 quarts of dill pickles as you can see in the picture. These will taste real good this winter. Tuesday I plan to can green beans. I won't be canning as much beans this year because I still have about 40 quarts left from last year.