Crack Pot, er Crock Pot Tips

It's nice to come home from work and have hot home cooked meal all ready to eat. Crock pots allows you to slow cook your food for many hours and not have to worry about it. There are many cuts of beef that require long slow cooking to be tender. These tend to be cheaper (in some cases much cheaper) cuts of meat because they take so long to cook to be tender enough to eat. But, who has the time nowadays to cook all day?  That's where a crock pot comes in handy.

Briskets are commonly made into corned beef. Rump roast or 7 bone roast can be made into pot roast. You can use cheap beef stew meat to make of course beef stew but you can also make it into Beef Stroganoff. You can use a large dutch oven in the oven or a large pot on the stove at a low temperature, but with either of these you need to keep checking on them to make sure the liquid does not totally evaporate and burn your food. I really can not stress enough to not leave the pot even on simmer or a stove on  and leave the house or fall asleep (I did this once smoke filled the house and the fire department was called I was taken to the hospital with smoke inhalation and totally burned the pan). You always want to take your meat and brown it on the stove before putting in the crock pot. This sears the outside so it stays moist on the inside. It also makes caramelized juices that give your dishes that really good flavor.

Beef Stroganoff
Take two pounds of beef stew meat, 1 onion diced,  1 can of mushrooms, fry in 2 tables spoons of oil. Season with a teaspoon of salt, pepper and dried mustard. when the onions are soft and carmelized and the meat is browned  add in 1/2 cup of cheap wine or cooking sherry. Add in a can of beef stock. Scrap the bottom of the pan and pour into crock pot. Let cook on low all day. Mix in a can of mushroom soup with two tablespoons of flour throughly mixed in. Cook on high for 15 minutes string constantly add in a cup of sour cream.and serve over  a package cooked egg noodles. Add some cooked frozen broccoli to the side.
Feeds 6-8 for $10.00


Pot Roast
Take a rump roast or 7 bone roast put in pot with a teaspoon of salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and diced onions. Cook until roast is browned on all sides. Add a can of beef broth and scrap the bottom of pan. Pour into crock pot. Put on low setting all day. Add diced carrots and quartered potatoes 30 minutes before serving and cook on high. When ready to serve cut up meat place back in broth serve using slotted spoon.
Feeds 6 for $8.00 

The Same Old Chicken Again

At the beginning of the month, I found family portions (meaning they only come in these 10 pound packages) of chicken quarters for 79 cents a pound.  I bought 10 pounds of it and portioned it out in freezer bags. My family is getting so sick of chicken they're ready to start screaming and running around like a chicken. So, I have to come up with something different.

Here are a two chicken recipes to make with all that chicken. Remember to always rinse your chicken and pat dry so the seasoning sticks to the chicken. With chicken quarters you either need to separate the thighs and legs or cook the chicken longer to make sure they're cooked through at the joints.

Ginger Garlic Honey Chicken

Place dried chicken in a casserole dish. Sprinkle liberally with about a teaspoon of salt and pepper. Make a paste with 2 tablespoons of honey a teaspoon of garlic powder two table spoons of ginger (use less ginger if your family doesn't care much for the taste). The meat will have a nice ginger taste all the way through while the outside has a slight sweet taste to it. Spread paste over chicken. Cover chicken with aluminum foil for the first 45 minutes of cooking. This will allow the chicken to cook and not burn the honey. Cook for an hour or until no blood comes out when you cut into the joint. I'd make some Curry rice with peas to go with it to add an Indian touch.
Feeds 4 for $5

Chicken and Dumplings

In a large dutch oven or a pan that can go on the stove and in the oven. Fill 3 quarters full with water. Add a tablespoon of salt, pepper, sage, and onion powder or diced onions. Boil until chicken easily falls from bone or about 45 minutes. Remove chicken from stock, de-bone, and put chicken back in stock. Put in frozen or canned peas, corn, green beans, and or carrots. Cook for 10 minutes. While cooking in a bowl mix up a cup of Bisquick(TM) or a cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, baking powder and baking soda. Add in 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine and 1/2 cup of milk. Spoon in to boiling soup mixture. Place in oven for 10-15 minutes until top of is golden brown.
Feeds 8 for $5.00

Oops, I Forgot

Its one of those days when I forgot, like many of you to take something out for dinner. Uh oh, what do I do now? I have a couple of quick pasta back-ups. I buy a large quantity of cheese tortellini and portion it out into freezer bags. I can either put the tortellini in hot boiling water for 10 minutes, or I can use spaghetti noodles. Sometimes I will substitute penne pasta. I make either a Poor Man's Alfredo Sauce or a tomato-based sauce.

Poor Man's Alfredo Sauce

Take 2 tablespoon of oil or butter heat at a low temperature adding teaspoon of salt, pepper, and garlic. Add two tablespoons of powder parmesan cheese, heat until the cheese  starts to looks melted. Add in a can of mushroom soup and a 1/2 cup of milk, mix until a creamy consistency. Add in half a cup of shredded cheese of any kind, stir until melted into the sauce. You can also add leftover chicken and or peas.

Tomato Spaghetti Sauce
Sauté 2 tablespoons of oil or butter or margarine with a teaspoon of salt, pepper, onion power, and garlic. Add a tablespoon of oregano, chives, Bay leaf, and basil. Sautéing helps to pull out the flavor of the dried herbs. Simmer on low for five minutes. You can add chopped onions, mushrooms, or even carrots or zucchini, depending on your likes. Sauté for another five minutes or until the vegetables are soft.  Add tomato sauce and/or any form of tomatoes (fresh, whole, diced, paste, etc.). Simmer on medium to low heat until it's time to serve it. The longer it simmers, the better it will taste. Serve over any variety of pasta , top with any kind of cheese, sprinkle with parsley.

Add a salad and garlic bread for a quick meal that feeds six.

It's Chili Outside

No, it's chili inside. There is nothing like a hot bowl of chili on a cold snowy winter night. This a hearty dish that can warm you up and put a sweat on your brow. It  can be made very inexpensively while feeding a lot of people. The first question is who is your audience, is it a bunch of small kids or is  it big burly men with cast iron stomachs?

You can buy lots of dried bean such as white, black, red kidney, and pinto beans. They are really cheap, you can purchase a 2 lb bag for a little over a dollar and it can sit on the shelf for years. In a large pot throw in 2 cups of any combination of beans, kidney beans and pinto beans are the best but the other kinds add a variety. Let them soak for 8-24 hours. If you need to you can put them in a pot and boil on simmer for 2 hours to speed up the softening proses. Tip: do not add salt to the water. Once you do that you have ended the softening proses. It causes them to get a "coat" on them and stops the inside from cooking. This is good when you add them to the chili so you can continue to cook the chili  giving it a better flavor and not making the beans so soft they are mushy. If your really short on time have some canned beans around. there about a $1.50 a can. They are a little more expensive but  it doesn't take all the effort.You will need at least three cans of any combination.

You can make it  vegan in which case skip this step. Now for semi-vegetarian or with meat style, take ground  chicken, turkey, pork, beef. or you can use fine cubed beef. Add teaspoon of salt, garlic (powder or cloves), and pepper, fry and drain. Put aside.

Place cut up chilli's (if you want it spicy), diced onion, tablespoon each of Chili powder, Paprika,  and Cayenne pepper. Fry until onions and chillies are soft add back in the meat. Add diced tomatoes, and two large cans of tomato sauce. Add in beans. Cook for 30 minuets or as long as you want, the longer the better. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream. Feeds 10 for $7.00.

Michey's Surprise

Why is it a surprise? Because it's the end of the month, the day before payday when money is tight. We have no idea what we are going to eat. It's a surprise as to what is in dinner. It usually consist of whatever leftover meat is in the refrigerator from a previous meal. It could be chicken, pork or leftover hamburger meat. It could even be left over taco meat or bar-b-que beef. It almost always is made with Raumen noodles because they're cheap you can find them for 10 cents a package especially if you buy in bulk. While the noodles are boiling in water I use half the seasoning package in the water the other I mix in with the meat  as I am reheating. Then I spice it  up to taste. You could add chili powder or coriander, salt, pepper, or onion powder. It really depends on how spicy you want it. Then add vegetables. Surprise, they can again be anything. They can be frozen peas, green beens  and/or corn.  You can add canned vegetables, even canned carrots. Whatever vegetables you might have in the refrigerator draw you want to get rid of, the more the merrier. Mix the noodles in and serve. Its not the best meal, but it covers the food groups and it will fill you up.

I was lucky this month I had a few dollars left over, so, I went to the store to see what I could find. I headed for the discount meat and chicken section. For $5 I found a 6lbs. roaster chicken. So I headed over to the discount stale bread to find a loaf of something to make stuffing. I was in luck I found a bag of stuffing for $1.65.

I took the chicken rinsed it inside and out, let it sit to dry. You can make stuffing following package instructions or In a large pot heat two table spoons of oil. Poor in a table spoon of sage, rosemary, and thyme.  Add a teaspoon of onion powder, garlic, salt, pepper, and celery seed.  Stir till herbs have soaked up some of the oil. Poor in 1 can of chicken stock, add  2 cups  of  bread cubes (packaged or a loaf of stale bread cut up). Put in refrigerator to cool. In the chicken cavity pour tablespoon of salt, pepper, sage, rosemary and thyme. Rub around the inside of cavity. Squish in Stuffing into cavity. Put left over stuffing in casserole pan and put in the over the last 15 minutes of cooking.  Evenly salt, pepper and garlic outside of chicken. Place chicken in oven at 375 for 1 and 1/2 hours. Add a green frozen or canned vegetable. Make gravy by using dripping from pan and half of milk and a teaspoon salt, and pepper each. Mix with a fork or whisk a tablespoon of flour heat on low string constantly till thicken.  Feeds 6 for $7.50

Sunday Morning Brunch

In our house, it became a tradition to do Sunday Morning Brunch. It gave us an excuse to get our kids up and out of bed at reasonable time (they would sleep till 3 in the afternoon if I let them). This was also the day when everyone was at home, we could all sit down at a meal together and talk about what happed last week and what our plans were for next week. Sunday was the day we dedicated to getting ready for the coming week. This included meal planning, cleaning bedrooms, and washing clothes. So it better be a hardy meal cause I'm not cooking again till dinner. Back when I was first married, we only had a couple of kids. We would go out for Sunday Morning Brunch at our favorite restaurant, Tiny Nailers (lots of small carpenters).  They had a stuffed French toast to die for. As we added on more children, it got too expensive to go out to brunch except on Mother's Day, Easter, and my birthday. So, I started cooking brunch at home. To this day, I still do brunch every other Sunday and the kids come over and bring my grandkids.

This included:
1. Some kind of meat, bacon (turkey or pork or both), ham, or sausage.
2. Scrambled eggs
3. One or more of  fruit bread, French toast, pancakes, coffeecake (is pancake baked in a pan).
4. Fruit salad
5. Sometimes adding yogurt or cereal

I would make a fruit salad with whatever I had around. Usually it's canned peaches and pears or fruit cocktail drained. Add sliced bananas and orange slices. Maybe some frozen blueberries or other frozen fruit. During the summer, I'll add fresh strawberries when they are cheap. You can even make this the night before and leave it covered in the refrigerator over night.

Preheat oven to 375. Take a large bowl, crack two eggs per person and  add enough milk to make the eggs a pastel yellow. Whip with fork and set aside. Place meat on a broiler pan and place in oven. Cook till desired crispness. In large bowl  make pancake batter (you can use boxed, but sometimes I make it from scratch). Now, I can either stand there for an hour making pancakes 2 or 3 at a time putting them on an oven safe plate to stay warm or I can pour it into a greased cake pan. Place fruit or brown sugar crumb mixture* on top and gently swirl in with a knife. Bake for 45 minutes. 15 minutes before breakfast time for us it's 10AM. In a large frying pan, heat up two tablespoons of oil, pour in eggs you set aside earlier, reduce heat, scrape pan bottom and mix in until eggs reach desired consistency. Sometimes I melt cheese into the eggs. Everything should be ready to serve.

If I happen to get up early, I might make banana bread as a treat. You can substitute any canned fruit (i.e. pumpkin, peaches, cranberries and mandarin oranges).

Smash 3 or more bananas in a bowl. Add 2 eggs 1/2 cup of milk 2 tablespoons of oil, 1/2 cup of sugar, tablespoon of cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well. Add 1 cup of Bisquick TM  and 1 cup of flour or two cups of flour, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 tablespoon of salt. Mix and pour into an oiled cake pan. Bake 375 for 35 minutes or until golden brown on top.

*1/4 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of white sugar, 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine, 2 tablespoons of flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix till crumbly.  

Herbs and Spices

Every kitchen should be well stocked with herbs and seasonings. Even a plain pot of water can taste good with the right seasoning added to it. Some of the most ordinary dishes can taste better and be a culinary delicacy, with the right herbs added. Its something that can even be fun to experiment with and customize to your own taste.  Initially it can be expensive to stock up your kitchen with herbs and seasonings. However you only need use small quantities at a time so a jar can go along way. If you keep them in airtight containers they last longer. I tend to buy a different herbs or seasoning each time I go to the store. Spreading the cost out over time.

herb [hɜːb (US) ɜːrb]n

1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany) a seed-bearing plant whose aerial parts do not persist above ground at the end of the growing season; herbaceous plant

2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Botany)

a.  any of various usually aromatic plants, such as parsley, rue, and rosemary, that are used in cookery and medicine

b.  (as modifier) a herb garden

seasoning [ˈsiːzənɪŋ]n

1. (Cookery) something that enhances the flavour of food, such as salt or herbs

When experimenting it is best to think of herbs in groups. There is the Sweet group these are seasonings added to things like pies, cookie, pastries, fruits or fruit bread. They include: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, Ginger, Chocolate,  Vanilla, and, orange or lemon rind. (Allspice is very rarely used  in anything but is a good spice to use in  variety of foods from squashes to meats. I make a really good Christmas sausage with it).

There is the spicy group primary for Mexican food but anything you might want to spice up. They include: Paparika, Cayenne Pepper, Chili powder, Cilantro and various dried Peppers (make sure you wash your hands afterwards and don't accidentally rub your hair out of your eyes they can really burn).

The Italian group includes: Oregano, Onion Power, Chives, Bay leaf, Basil, and Garlic (really you can use this in almost anything, I do suggest getting cloves and squishing them).

Then there is what I call the General herbs that can be used in everything from eggs to soups. This is what you use when you want that added something special. They are Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, Parsley (this has no flavor its for looks and color),  Celery seed, Sage (this is used on a lot of poultry dishes). There's Dill that is used for fish. Curry powder is used in dishes from India. There are a lot of Asian herbs but I cant pronounce them much less spell them and all of mine have Asian writing on them. I get them at our local Asian market and use them when I'm doing stir fry or sushi or fish. Again trial and error.

There is the Pepper Group these can be used every where and each kind makes the food taste just a little different. I really do suggest getting pepper corns and a grinder or small mortar and pestle. It really does make a difference to have fresh ground. They include: black, white, pink, and green peppers. Each has its own distinct taste or you can used them mixed.

Adding even a little of  spice to a premade sauce or meal can make it taste like it was freshly homemade. When I have forgotten to take something out for dinner can always make pasta and pasta sauce.

Sauté 2 tablespoons of oil or butter or margarine with  a teaspoon Salt, pepper, Onion Power, and Garlic. Add a tablespoon of each Oregano,  Chives, Bay leaf, and basil (it helps  to pull out the flavor of the dried herbs),  simmer on low for five minutes. You can add chopped onions,  mushrooms or even carrots or zucchini depending on your likes. Sauté for another five minuets or until the vegetables are soft.  Add tomatoes sauce and or any form of tomatoes (fresh, whole, diced, paste, etc.) simmer on medium to low heat for as long as you have before you need to serve it. The longer the better it will taste. Serve over any variety of pasta you have on hand top with any kind of cheese you may have on hand sprinkle with parsley.

What to make for dinner?

What should I cook for dinner is a question that shouldn't be asked when you come home from work tired. In most cases, it is the question that we ask ourselves everyday as we look into our refrigerators and cupboards hoping the food will jump out at us all prepared and ready to be served. The sad fact is that ready to serve food, while quick and easy, can become costly for any size family. Making a weekly planner of dinner and recipes ahead of time can greatly cut  food budget.

The old adage, "plan your meals out before you go shopping so you will know what to buy and not spend more than you need," is not always the cheapest way. This was all well and good when food prices did not fluctuate the way they do now from week to week. Back in the olden days (ok, I'm showing my age), you knew that ground beef would be a dollar a pound every week. That ground beef can now cost anywhere from $2.50 to $4.00 a pound depending on the current sale, amount of fat or the butcher's whims.

1. Make a  written list or at least a mental note of things in your pantry and refrigerator/freezer.
2. Look over the grocery store ads and get an idea of what meats, chicken or fish are on sale.
3. Look in the discount meat or chicken section of your grocery store.
4. Buy pantry goods in bulk as they come on sale.

Once you have stocked up your freezer with discounted meats, chicken, or fish you have a good basis to create meal plans. Use what's  in your freezer and pantry ingredients to build your meals around. This can keep cost down. The Internet is a good resource because you can give it a list of items you might have and it can give you a recipe that includes those items. Then, you may only need to buy the few ingredients still needed. Doing this, lets say, over the weekend means that you know what to take out and defrost before you leave for work. It also saves your brain from having to figure out what to fix when you get home from work.

In my case, chicken quarters were on sale for 56 cents a pound in the discount bin. I have found $80 worth of t-bone steaks for $20 or even prime rib.

Here is a recipe using the chicken I found cheap.

Italian Chicken over Rice
Make 2-4 cups of cooked rice. Lay on the bottom of a glass casserole dish. Place 2 lbs. of washed chicken quarters (or any parts of the chicken you get on sale) on the rice. Pour a half a cup of water over chicken and rice. Salt and pepper chicken and rice liberally. Pour 1/2 cup of Italian dressing over chicken. Sprinkle oregano and garlic powder over chicken. Optionally, place whole canned tomatoes on chicken. Bake at 375 for 1 hour.

Add canned or frozen green beens and garlic bread for a well rounded dinner.
You can fix the entire meal and feed 6 people for under $8.