THRIFTY THURSDAY

MORNING EVERYONE

What a beautiful morning... having a smoothie on the deck .. Kimberly coming up today and staying for a couple of days to help us stain the deck .. once done will post pictures.. will finish planting the pots.. I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Grumpy , I love flowers and I bought him a new big green pot with a japanese Maple and a cast iron duck to sit by the planter.. Grumpy loves plants that come up every year and low maintenance.. I love the colour and in order to have that you have to have annuals....

NEW YORK STRIP

WITH PEPPER

AND ONIONS 

 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 New York Strip steaks (about 10 ounces)
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
• 1 large red onion, sliced
• 1/4 cup romano cheese
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation:

Combine garlic, basil, oregano and pepper. Rub over the surface of each steak. Combine olive oil, red wine vinegar and remaining seasonings in bowl. Mix well. Preheat grill. Place onion and pepper slices on grill along with steaks. Grill for about 15 minutes turning occasionally. Brush vegetables with oil and vinegar mixture while grilling. Remove when the steaks are done to desired level. Toss vegetables with remaining oil and vinegar mixture and romano cheese. Serve with steaks.

Perfect Baked Potato Recipe:
Adjust the rack in your oven to the middle position and preheat oven to desired temperature (see chart below).
NOTE: Wrapping the potato in aluminum foil will produce a soft skin (not crispy). Technically this is steaming rather than baking (as the moisture in the potato remains trapped) and the light, flaky texture will be missing. The texture of a steamed potato is entirely different from that of a perfect baked potato. Save yourself the trouble and expense of wrapping in aluminum foil and serve perfect baked potatoes.

Rinse and scrub (I use a stiff-bristled brush) each potato under cold running water, as you will be eating the skins of these perfect potatoes. Don't soak the potatoes (that will make them soggy and don't use hot water or you'll start cooking the outside and the inside won't catch up).  Dry each potato thoroughly with a clean towel.

Look the cleaned potatoes over and remove any bruises or discolored spots with the tip of your knife.

Pierce each potato deeply with a fork or sharp knife four times on each side at approximately 1-inch intervals. This will allow steam to escape during the baking. If you don't prick the potatoes, they may explode during baking in your oven. You don't want this to happen as it makes a terrible mess in your oven!

My suggestion is to NEVER use aluminum foil when baking potatoes! coarse or kosher salt after rolling in the oil and before baking. Place coarse salt onto a small plate. Roll potatoes lightly in the salt. The skin is so yummy to eat!

For a soft skin, rub the potato with olive oil, vegetable oil, or butter over the skins. 

NOTE: I like to roll the potatoes in

TIPSY TUESDAY

You all know I love to garden.. just wished more time allowed it.. anyway my tip is to do with bedding plants.. this is a bit of being thrifty as well as a tip.. When you go to a nursery they always have plants that need to be dead headed and maybe the season is over.. I have found that a lot of them still have life in them and all you have to do is dead head and they will come back to have more blooms...Yesterday I went to Canadian Tire and picked up a ton of pansies that still had a lot of lovelyness in them.(not sure if that is a word) .. I got them for a pack of 6 for $.60 cents brought them home and replanted, deadheaded, and fertilized and in a few days with that nice sun that we are having they will look beautiful..

Enjoy

Cheers

Granny