I hope all of our U.S. readers had a nice Thanksgiving, we took a family retreat in the GA mountains with this being our first year without my mom. It was very tough for me emotionally but we got through it and had a good time together. We played lots of Monopoly, Scrabble and Phase 10, and for dinner we threw together some frozen meals with veggies on the side, and pumpkin pie of course. You know, I think pumpkin pie should be served at every holiday, not just Thanksgiving and Christmas!
So what's for dinner at your house tonight? I just spent an hour preparing our favorite pot roast meal for the crock pot tonight, YUM! This week has been so hectic getting back to work and the kids schedules at school are very busy as well. If we had a smaller family this meal would make two or three dinners but for our family of 6 it will be all eaten up tonight I'm sure.
People often ask me how to cook for just one or two people on a budget and I tell them it's okay to make a large meal like this and then just divide it up for the freezer! That's what we're going to do when our kids are all grown! :o)
When I make our pot roast I usually add a small bag of baby carrots, but this time I picked up some beautiful fresh carrots from the produce department, complete with the green tops still on them (I think they may have even been in the organic section). Now, I know they are more expensive than the bagged carrots, and I have NEVER done this before, but I must tell you, they are SO GOOD!!! We don't have to get them all the time (they are more time consuming to prepare as well), but what a treat!
I prepared the fresh carrots for the crock pot and then had to sneak just one to see how much better they tasted. For one thing, they are softer than most bagged carrots, and they look better too. And the taste can't be beat (unless you grow your own I'm sure ;o) The biggest thing is that unlike most bagged carrots, the fresh ones do not have that waxy taste, they are delicious! If you've never tried fresh carrots I hope you will soon, if you like carrots that is! :o)
Coffee Brownies
Featured Comment by Susan...
Michelle, Happy Thanksgiving. Over here in Chamblee I am making brownies for my holiday gifts using a little instant coffee added to the bought packaged mixes, toffie bits, and extra dry cocoa and black walnuts, pecans, chopped candy bars and etc. So, my "coffee" brownies should be good. I got the brownie mixes on extreme sale. If one looks around, walnuts and pecans are in the streets all around the neighborhood.
(Happy Thanksgiving to you Susan! And to all our U.S. readers! I may not be able to post here for the next few days due to the holidays but I promise I will be back to work soon... enjoy a few of those coffee brownies for us, YUM!)
Michelle, Happy Thanksgiving. Over here in Chamblee I am making brownies for my holiday gifts using a little instant coffee added to the bought packaged mixes, toffie bits, and extra dry cocoa and black walnuts, pecans, chopped candy bars and etc. So, my "coffee" brownies should be good. I got the brownie mixes on extreme sale. If one looks around, walnuts and pecans are in the streets all around the neighborhood.
(Happy Thanksgiving to you Susan! And to all our U.S. readers! I may not be able to post here for the next few days due to the holidays but I promise I will be back to work soon... enjoy a few of those coffee brownies for us, YUM!)
Top 10 Tips to Avoid Kitchen Fires
Kitchen Fires
Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Home fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in your home. Unattended cooking causes nearly 90 percent of all kitchen fires.Every two and a half hours someone is killed in a home fire. In a typical year, 20,000 people are injured in home fires. Having a working smoke alarm reduces one’s chances of dying in a fire by nearly half.
Top 10 Preparedness Tips
1. Never leave cooking food unattended.
2. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
3. If you are simmering, baking, boiling, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on.
4. Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.
5. Keep kids away from cooking areas by enforcing a "kid-free zone" of three feet around the stove.
6. Keep anything that can catch on fire—pot holders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels or curtains—away from your stove top and oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.
7. Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.
8. Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen. Contact your local fire department to take training on the proper use of extinguishers.
9. Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving the home to make sure all stoves, ovens, and small appliances are turned off.
10. Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, on each level of your home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms if you sleep with doors closed. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year.
Source: American Red Cross
Edited by Michelle Jones
Cooking fires are the number one cause of home fires and home fire injuries. Home fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in your home. Unattended cooking causes nearly 90 percent of all kitchen fires.Every two and a half hours someone is killed in a home fire. In a typical year, 20,000 people are injured in home fires. Having a working smoke alarm reduces one’s chances of dying in a fire by nearly half.
Top 10 Preparedness Tips
1. Never leave cooking food unattended.
2. Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you must leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove.
3. If you are simmering, baking, boiling, or roasting food, check it regularly, remain in the home while food is cooking, and use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on.
4. Avoid wearing loose clothing or dangling sleeves while cooking.
5. Keep kids away from cooking areas by enforcing a "kid-free zone" of three feet around the stove.
6. Keep anything that can catch on fire—pot holders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, and towels or curtains—away from your stove top and oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.
7. Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.
8. Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen. Contact your local fire department to take training on the proper use of extinguishers.
9. Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving the home to make sure all stoves, ovens, and small appliances are turned off.
10. Smoke alarms save lives. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, on each level of your home, near sleeping areas, and inside and outside bedrooms if you sleep with doors closed. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year.
Source: American Red Cross
Edited by Michelle Jones
Cream Cheese, Pineapple, Pudding Dessert
Featured Comment by Opal...
I have only made this one time and it was a hit at our church thanksgiving dinner.
In a 2qt. casserole line the bottom with cream cheese, be generous. Make a layer of pineapple chunks, small marshmallows, blobs of cream cheese. Cover with vanilla pudding. Make another layer of all. Add more marshmallows on top. Bake at 350 degrees just until marshmallows are light brown.
Can be served warm or chilled.
(Thank's Opal, I bet our kids would love this!)
I have only made this one time and it was a hit at our church thanksgiving dinner.
In a 2qt. casserole line the bottom with cream cheese, be generous. Make a layer of pineapple chunks, small marshmallows, blobs of cream cheese. Cover with vanilla pudding. Make another layer of all. Add more marshmallows on top. Bake at 350 degrees just until marshmallows are light brown.
Can be served warm or chilled.
(Thank's Opal, I bet our kids would love this!)
Pasta Salad
Featured Comment by frugalwilady...
Hi Michelle! Here's a quick pasta salad for dish-to-pass situations. Don't really have a recipe but I can give you amounts! Boil 1lb pkg tricolor rotini until done, at this point add 1lb pkg frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots blend to water and pasta let set until veggies are basically unfrozen (about 3 min) and drain. Add 8oz grape tomatoes, 1 small can sliced black olives, 1 tsp. fresh minced garlic, 3/4 bottle Italian dressing, toss and chill. You can add pepperoni if you want a cold pasta meal. This costs about $5 to make and will feed an army. This is very pretty, too!
(Thanks frugalwilady, this sounds so easy and so GOOD!)
Hi Michelle! Here's a quick pasta salad for dish-to-pass situations. Don't really have a recipe but I can give you amounts! Boil 1lb pkg tricolor rotini until done, at this point add 1lb pkg frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots blend to water and pasta let set until veggies are basically unfrozen (about 3 min) and drain. Add 8oz grape tomatoes, 1 small can sliced black olives, 1 tsp. fresh minced garlic, 3/4 bottle Italian dressing, toss and chill. You can add pepperoni if you want a cold pasta meal. This costs about $5 to make and will feed an army. This is very pretty, too!
(Thanks frugalwilady, this sounds so easy and so GOOD!)
Editor's Recipe: Holiday Dinner Menus & Recipes!
This week we will be celebrating our annual Thanksgiving Day holiday here in the U.S. and our family's favorite dinner menu is...
Roasted Turkey or Honey Ham (or BOTH when you have a large gathering)
Cornbread Dressing with Giblet Gravy
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole (my mom's recipe--with either chopped pecans or melted marshmallows on top)
Yeast rolls or Cresent rolls
and last but not least, for dessert...
Pumpkin Pie and/or Pecan Pie (especially good with with homemade whipped cream)
What are your family favorites for the holidays and where are you located--we're in Atlanta! :o)
Roasted Turkey or Honey Ham (or BOTH when you have a large gathering)
Cornbread Dressing with Giblet Gravy
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole (my mom's recipe--with either chopped pecans or melted marshmallows on top)
Yeast rolls or Cresent rolls
and last but not least, for dessert...
Pumpkin Pie and/or Pecan Pie (especially good with with homemade whipped cream)
What are your family favorites for the holidays and where are you located--we're in Atlanta! :o)
Church Suppers - Spaghetti, Baked Spaghetti
Featured Comment by Christine...
Good afternoon!
This weekend our church had its yearly mission emphasis weekend. Every other year, the choir from Grundy Mountain Mission in Grundy, Va comes to sing for our morning service. They arrive on Saturday evening, so they need housing. This year there were 44 who needed meals and a place to stay. We signed up to keep two girls (all the boys were taken). Our 11 year old son wasn't too thrilled to begin with, but we ended up having a great time!
Not only did we need to feed and house the girls, but on Sunday evening there was a pitch-in at church. This required additional cooking! On Saturday, before the girls came, I put together my spaghetti sauce and put it in my crock pot and put it in the refrigerator. It's a very simple sauce that my sister told me about.
1 pound of sausage, browned
2 large cans of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
2 tsp. Italian seasoning (or to taste)
1 tsp. garlic powder (or to taste)
4 T. sugar (or to taste)
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
On Sunday morning, I put the sauce on before church. When we got home, I fixed the spaghetti. I fixed enough for lunch and for the pitch-in. After the meal, I put the left-over sauce and spaghetti together, added cheese and baked. There was plenty for lunch and for the pitch-in, and I didn't have to spend a lot of money!!
(Thanks Christine, spaghetti made with sausage instead of or along with ground beef is always SO good! And you got two meals out of one by making baked spaghetti with the leftovers, delicious!)
Good afternoon!
This weekend our church had its yearly mission emphasis weekend. Every other year, the choir from Grundy Mountain Mission in Grundy, Va comes to sing for our morning service. They arrive on Saturday evening, so they need housing. This year there were 44 who needed meals and a place to stay. We signed up to keep two girls (all the boys were taken). Our 11 year old son wasn't too thrilled to begin with, but we ended up having a great time!
Not only did we need to feed and house the girls, but on Sunday evening there was a pitch-in at church. This required additional cooking! On Saturday, before the girls came, I put together my spaghetti sauce and put it in my crock pot and put it in the refrigerator. It's a very simple sauce that my sister told me about.
1 pound of sausage, browned
2 large cans of tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
2 tsp. Italian seasoning (or to taste)
1 tsp. garlic powder (or to taste)
4 T. sugar (or to taste)
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
On Sunday morning, I put the sauce on before church. When we got home, I fixed the spaghetti. I fixed enough for lunch and for the pitch-in. After the meal, I put the left-over sauce and spaghetti together, added cheese and baked. There was plenty for lunch and for the pitch-in, and I didn't have to spend a lot of money!!
(Thanks Christine, spaghetti made with sausage instead of or along with ground beef is always SO good! And you got two meals out of one by making baked spaghetti with the leftovers, delicious!)
Chicken and Stuffing Casserole - 2
Featured Comment by Opal...
This Chicken and Stuffing Casserole reminds me of what I do sometimes. I don't have a recipe, I just add corn bread stuffing mix prepared according to directions to a can of chicken soup and bake. I also love it added to tomato soup. Let set five minutes and eat without baking. YUMMY it's good.
(Thanks Opal! That's my mother-in-law, y'all! :o)
This Chicken and Stuffing Casserole reminds me of what I do sometimes. I don't have a recipe, I just add corn bread stuffing mix prepared according to directions to a can of chicken soup and bake. I also love it added to tomato soup. Let set five minutes and eat without baking. YUMMY it's good.
(Thanks Opal! That's my mother-in-law, y'all! :o)
Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
Featured Comment by Laurie...
How nice to see you! It's great to have a face to go with the name of someone who feels like a friend. The dirty dishes poem is a favorite of mine too. My mother kept it taped on the knife rack in the kitchen when I was growing up. Hand washing dishes every other night gave me a lot of time to memorize it. ;) Dinner tonight was chicken and stuffing casserole. Quick and easy to make with leftover chicken (or turkey) and low in carbs too. Also, stuffing mixes are on sale this month. Here's the recipe if anyone is interested. I love the blog idea.
Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup (10 3/4oz)
3/4 cup milk
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
10 oz. bag french style green beans, thawed
1 sm. can mushrooms, diced
chives, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 pkg. herb stuffing (6 oz.)
1 1/2 cups water
Mix soup and milk until smooth. Stir in chicken, beans, mushrooms, chives, and pepper. Spread in 9x13 baking dish. Set oven to 375'. Toss stuffing mix with water and let set for about 5 minutes. Spread stuffing over chicken mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
I usually double the recipe, it reheats great in the microwave.
(Thanks Laurie, this recipe is a definite keeper and it's nice to meet you too!!!)
How nice to see you! It's great to have a face to go with the name of someone who feels like a friend. The dirty dishes poem is a favorite of mine too. My mother kept it taped on the knife rack in the kitchen when I was growing up. Hand washing dishes every other night gave me a lot of time to memorize it. ;) Dinner tonight was chicken and stuffing casserole. Quick and easy to make with leftover chicken (or turkey) and low in carbs too. Also, stuffing mixes are on sale this month. Here's the recipe if anyone is interested. I love the blog idea.
Chicken and Stuffing Casserole
1 can cream of mushroom soup (10 3/4oz)
3/4 cup milk
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
10 oz. bag french style green beans, thawed
1 sm. can mushrooms, diced
chives, to taste
black pepper, to taste
1 pkg. herb stuffing (6 oz.)
1 1/2 cups water
Mix soup and milk until smooth. Stir in chicken, beans, mushrooms, chives, and pepper. Spread in 9x13 baking dish. Set oven to 375'. Toss stuffing mix with water and let set for about 5 minutes. Spread stuffing over chicken mixture. Bake for 30 minutes.
I usually double the recipe, it reheats great in the microwave.
(Thanks Laurie, this recipe is a definite keeper and it's nice to meet you too!!!)
Editor's Recipe: Beef Stroganoff - TGIF!
Whew! The November newsletter is done, my new book is DONE, and now we're just going to have some fun! It's Friday and I don't know about you, but I LOVE FRIDAYS!!! I still have quite a bit of work to do here in the office today, and tomorrow, but today is the last day of the school week for our kids and the last day of the work week for my husband. This means the next two days are ours, and we can plan something good to cook!
A few weeks ago I made a beef stroganoff dish that my oldest daughter took to work for lunch on Saturday, and one of her supervisors wanted some too! I had purchased two steaks and placed one in the freezer so I'm going to find out if she is working this Saturday and make it again for them and this time I'll pack two lunches instead of one. If she is, and I do this, then that will also be our dinner! If she's not working with my daughter this Saturday I'll hold off on that. Yum, it sure was good!
I've made beef stroganoff for many years but the particular recipe I used this time was one that I adapted from Rachael Ray's holiday recipe that she did on her daytime TV show in October. (view recipe here)
Here are the ingredients and what I changed...
1 lb egg noodles
Salt and pepper
4 T. butter, divided
2 T. olive oil
3 sprigs dill (I used dried, and it was still great)
20 chives (same as for the dill, for both I just sprinkled a lot--it's for the pasta)
1 lb sirloin steak
1/2 c. flour
1/2 small onion (I used about 1/4 c. sweet onion, diced small because my kids hate onions)
4-5 garlic cloves (the recipe calls for grating the onion and the garlic but I minced mine instead, my kids can handle that fine)
2 tsp. smoked paprika (I haven't made the investment in this yet, and used our regular paprika--which was still delicious)
1-2 cups beef stock (invest in a jar of beef bouillon cubes, they really come in handy and go a long way, a lot cheaper than buying beef stock premade--I learned that one from my mom many years ago! :o)
1/2 c. sour cream (one of our kids can't eat sour cream, or I should say "won't," so I prepared the dish and made a plate for him, then added the sour cream for the rest of the family)
1 4-ounce jar pimentos (now this my kids definitely will not eat, they always say "EWE! What are those red things!" and then they make a mess by picking them all out) so, I cut up a green bell pepper instead and they loved it!)
If you decide to make this I hope you enjoy it as much as we did... and I hope you'll try my version! :o) If there's not a way to print this out you can email it to yourself by using the email link below. And please use the link above to print out Rachel's recipe, she's got a nice picture of the dish as well so I'd like you to see that. This is a creamy and hearty dish that's great for the colder months!
Now, what are y'all going to cook tonight? It's time to start thinking about that! I have tomorrow planned, hopefully, now we need to think of something for tonight! (SIGH)
And I love the comment made yesterday about grilled cheese sandwiches, that is always a quick easy and frugal meal that most people love! I do have one child who won't eat American Cheese though, and no, it's NOT the same child who won't eat sour cream! lol
A few weeks ago I made a beef stroganoff dish that my oldest daughter took to work for lunch on Saturday, and one of her supervisors wanted some too! I had purchased two steaks and placed one in the freezer so I'm going to find out if she is working this Saturday and make it again for them and this time I'll pack two lunches instead of one. If she is, and I do this, then that will also be our dinner! If she's not working with my daughter this Saturday I'll hold off on that. Yum, it sure was good!
I've made beef stroganoff for many years but the particular recipe I used this time was one that I adapted from Rachael Ray's holiday recipe that she did on her daytime TV show in October. (view recipe here)
Here are the ingredients and what I changed...
1 lb egg noodles
Salt and pepper
4 T. butter, divided
2 T. olive oil
3 sprigs dill (I used dried, and it was still great)
20 chives (same as for the dill, for both I just sprinkled a lot--it's for the pasta)
1 lb sirloin steak
1/2 c. flour
1/2 small onion (I used about 1/4 c. sweet onion, diced small because my kids hate onions)
4-5 garlic cloves (the recipe calls for grating the onion and the garlic but I minced mine instead, my kids can handle that fine)
2 tsp. smoked paprika (I haven't made the investment in this yet, and used our regular paprika--which was still delicious)
1-2 cups beef stock (invest in a jar of beef bouillon cubes, they really come in handy and go a long way, a lot cheaper than buying beef stock premade--I learned that one from my mom many years ago! :o)
1/2 c. sour cream (one of our kids can't eat sour cream, or I should say "won't," so I prepared the dish and made a plate for him, then added the sour cream for the rest of the family)
1 4-ounce jar pimentos (now this my kids definitely will not eat, they always say "EWE! What are those red things!" and then they make a mess by picking them all out) so, I cut up a green bell pepper instead and they loved it!)
If you decide to make this I hope you enjoy it as much as we did... and I hope you'll try my version! :o) If there's not a way to print this out you can email it to yourself by using the email link below. And please use the link above to print out Rachel's recipe, she's got a nice picture of the dish as well so I'd like you to see that. This is a creamy and hearty dish that's great for the colder months!
Now, what are y'all going to cook tonight? It's time to start thinking about that! I have tomorrow planned, hopefully, now we need to think of something for tonight! (SIGH)
And I love the comment made yesterday about grilled cheese sandwiches, that is always a quick easy and frugal meal that most people love! I do have one child who won't eat American Cheese though, and no, it's NOT the same child who won't eat sour cream! lol
Getting Started - New Dinner Blog
Okay y'all, the feedback about our new dinner blog has been great so far (I've rec'd a lot of personal email not shown here on the blog and that's okay too), let's do this!!! I've tried to set this up so it's easy for you to make a comment or ask a question, and all comments will be emailed directly to me as well as posted here on the blog. You can also use the link at the top left corner of this blog to send me an email, whatever is easier for you. I just want to make sure I don't miss you when you stop by for a visit, and I hope you'll do that often! :o)
Hey Y'all - Do We Want to Do This?
If you'd like me to get this blog going so we can chat about what's for dinner each week, I'll try to have it ready by the time our next issue goes out, in December. I just love the idea of us having a budget friendly dinner blog all to our own, so please let me know what you think!
And while you're here already, please go ahead and leave me a comment or send me an email! Tell me about yourself, your family and your own dinner dilemmas. According to Webster... the definition of dilemma is a "perplexing situation!" And I would say that's a great description for weekly family dinners! ;o)
And while you're here already, please go ahead and leave me a comment or send me an email! Tell me about yourself, your family and your own dinner dilemmas. According to Webster... the definition of dilemma is a "perplexing situation!" And I would say that's a great description for weekly family dinners! ;o)
What's for Dinner Tonight?
Tonight we had homemade chicken pot pie and I made an extra one for later in the week. I've been making this for years and it's so simple and easy to make, I'll share the recipe with you soon! :o)
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