WEEKLY MENU MONDAY

Morning Everyone

Hope you all had a great weekend. Ours was very productive , got to spend time with friends and family can not get much better then that. This week we are going to cook with a lot of chicken as it was on special at Thriftys.

Monday. Moraccan Chicken
Tuesday. Sweet and Spicy Chicken Legs
Wednesday. Slow Cooker Pork Steaks
Thursday. Chicken Parmasen Bundles
Friday. Chicken Wings

Below is your recipe for Moraccan Chicken. Not sure if you have had any moraccan food before but I find it quite good. You use some spices that you might not have on hand but you can buy them in bulk at some stores and also in small bags if you do not want to buy a whole bottle. But I think you will find that you will like these spices and can add them to other main dishes that you cook down the road.

Moraccan Chicken








Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast meat - cubed
2 teaspoons salt
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
1 zucchini, sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

Season chicken with salt and brown in a large saucepan over medium heat until almost cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Saute onion, garlic, carrots and celery in same pan. When tender, stir in ginger, paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and turmeric; stir fry for about 1 minute, then mix in broth and tomatoes. Return chicken to pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add chickpeas and zucchini to pan and bring to simmering once again; cover pan and cook for about 15 minutes, or until zucchini is cooked through and tender. Stir in lemon juice and serve.

I like to serve this over rice. You might want to look into investing into an electric rice cooker they are not very expensive and worth the investment.

Have a good day ....

Cheers

Granny

SIT DOWN SUNDAY

Morning Everyone

Well had a great time last night with some wonderful friends. Great dinner Myrna and lots of laughs as we played a game of Mexican Train....Had a sleepover at Pat and Al's and thank you both for that , was nice that we did not have to drive home that late over the Malahat. Staying in Victoria for the day and meeting up for a lunch date at Irish Times and then some window shopping .

So today is the special day that you have a sit down dinner with the family. I am sure that you will enjoy this roast .

Lemon Garlic Pork Roast

3 to 3½ pound boneless pork loin roast

¾ teaspoon lemon zest (grated lemon rind)

½ teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chicken broth

Trim excess fat from pork.

Stir rest of the ingredients except the chicken broth together well and rub evenly over the pork.
Place pork in small roasting pan or casserole and add broth to the pan.

Bake at 400° for 30 minutes.
Turn pork over and bake for an additional 35 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers about 160°. Serve and make some gravy with the drippings...

Boil some potatoes and mash then add some milk and butter with salt and pepper. Steam some vegetables and a slice of sourdough bread.

Enjoy

Granny

SHOPPING SATURDAY

Morning Everyone....

Well another great day of shopping . Not only time for grocery shopping but need to get started on that Christmas shopping as well. Now that I nearly have all my kids lists in I can get started. I am really enjoying the shopping online as well , you can get some good deals and not have to battle with the people at the malls.
Do not forget to make sure you check your cupboards and freezer before you start your grocery shopping. Only get the stuff that is on your list.

Thriftys
Box of Chicken Breasts $27.99
Case Lot Campbell soups 12 for $5.99
Case Lot Canned Mushrooms 12 for $8.99
Burritos Chimichangas buy 1 get 1 free

Super Store
Breton Crackers $1.97 limit of 2
Uncle Ben;s Rice Fast and Fancy $1.00
Select Brand Pepperoni $2.00
Av0cado's 5 per bag $2.98

Safeway
Tomatoes on Vine $1.49 per lb
Kraft Shredded Cheeses $5.99
Oreo cookies buy 1 get 1 free
Sunlight dish soap buy 1 get 1 free
Strawberry rhubarb pie $3.99
Sourdough Bread $1.49
Clubhouse Chipotle and Buffalo marinate for chicken wings

Walmart
Pork Ribs $8.00
Pork Tenderloin $8.00
Baguette bread $1.00
Pyrex glass dishes 14 piece $19.00 (glass dishes are the best for leftovers cause you can heat in microwave and you are able to see what is in them when they are in the fridge.)
Pork Steaks need for a recipe next week
Chicken Wing
Pork Roast

Country Grocer
Sidekicks $.97 limit of 4
Ragu pasta sauce $.97 limit of 4
Ham steaks buy 1 get 1 free
Hunts canned tomatoes $.97
Betty Crocker Bisquit Mix 2 for $5.00 only need to buy one
Europes Best Vegetables $2.97
Knorr Broths $1.97
Planter Peanuts 300g bag for $1.97 (buy 4 need for a recipe for Christmas)

Now this is Appy or date night so if you are staying in to watch a movie or some sports on the TV you should have Nachos... Just put 1/2 of the Nachos on your baking dish for the oven and top with 1/2 cooked ground beef , and 1/2 shredded cheese. Then add the rest of the nachos and top with the rest of the cheese , ground beef, and diced tomatoes..Bake in oven for about 10 minutes til the cheese melts

Guacamole Recipe
4 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tomato, seeded and diced
2 serrano chilies, seeded and minced
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice or lemon juice so that the avocado does not go brown
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
hot pepper sauce (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Cut avocado into large chunks and mash coarsely in a bowl with a fork.
Add remaining ingredients and blend gently. The guacamole does not have to be absolutely smooth. Leaving a few small chunks is fine and some people prefer it that way.
Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding more pepper sauce if you wish

Make sure the avocados are ripe . Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone if you find it hard to come out put your paring knife in the stone and twist the avocado and it should come right out. Slice the avocado in chunks.

For those of you who do not want to go to this work you can buy a dip already made as well. Don't forget the sour cream and salsa sauce make sure you put that on your grocery list ...

Hope you all have a nice evening , Grumpy and I are off to celebrate another friend of ours who is turning 60.. Wow we are all getting old but as a good friend of ours who is not longer with us would say ''LIVE THE DASH" and that is what I am doing.

Cheers
Granny

FAST FOOD FRIDAY

Morning Everyone


Well things are great in our house. Got a chance to get outside and dead head all my pots on the decks so now as much as it is not as colourful it is neat and tidy. Quick and easy tonight just going to have Beef Dip from the roast you cooked the other night. Now if you did not cook a roast just go to the deli department of you grocery store and have them shave some of their cooked roast beef so that you can have Beef Dip for supper tonight.

Easy Beef Dip with Fries



You will need to have on hand some hoagie buns, oxo cubes or Bovril by Knorr and some frozen fries. I prefer the sweet pototoe fries but the super seasoned fries are good as well..

When using the Bovril it is a concentrate so you would just put a Tablespoon in your own individual small bowls and add some boiled water from the kettle to make the Aus Jus.

Follow the instructions of the fry package and get them in the oven first. While they are cooking slice up the roast as thin as you can get it . Get the Aus Jus ready and dinner will be served...

Quick and easy both for the cooking and the cleaning up.

Have a safe and good weekend

Cheers

Granny

THRIFTY THURSDAY

Morning Everyone

Had a good day yesterday got some Decluttering done so that I could get my Christmas cupboards organized for storing everyones Christmas gifts. It is the stockings that take up all the space and Grumpy and I have a new Grandson to buy for this year so I had to make more room.

So today we are going to cook a soup that is like a meal.

Gramma Ferrie's Italian Hamburger Soup

(do not need to add cabbage but it is good)



1 lb. ground beef
1 c. chopped onion
1 lg. can tomatoes (with Italian spices )
1 c. chopped cabbage
1 c. cubed raw potatoes
1 c. sliced raw carrots
3/4 c. sliced celery
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
1 1/2 qt. water
1/4 c. uncooked rice or 3/4 cup of pasta
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

I have made this easier by using Italian spice canned Tomatoes but we used to make it with our own canned tomatoes and then add your basil, thyme and oregano

Grated Parmesan cheese to serve when done.

In a large kettle, saute ground beef and onions until meat is brown; drain fat. Add tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, celery, and green pepper. Bring to a boil. Add water, rice or pasta and spices. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Serve sprinkled with grated cheese.

Freeze what is leftover or it is good for lunch the next day.

If you need to buy any of the ingredients pick up some hoagie buns so that you can toast with Cheese under the broiler and then you have some for Beef Dip tomorrow night.

THRIFTY
In the next couple of weeks I am going to give you a recipe on how to cook Peanut Clusters in your crock pot they are so good. They are a great gift to give someone over the Christmas holidays . So often you are invited over to someone home for a couple of drinks or just a social conversation and would like to take small hostess gift. Most people will take a bottle of wine but with the laws getting so much stiffer with the drinking I would like to suggest FOOD. Like I have said before everyone loves food. So what you need to do is go into your favorite Thrift Store and look for some nice Christmas tins . They are starting to get out in the stores now and if you do not have a favorite Thrift store you need to find one real quick cause down the road there will be some ideas coming your way on the entertaining where you will need to get stuff from the second hand stores. Now I think between my girlfriend Pat and I we know all of them from Nanaimo down so if you would like to know the best one for kitchen and cooking stuff in your area just drop me a note as long as it is on Vancouver Island...Talk to you tomorrow and enjoy your weekend.

Cheers

Granny

SLOW COOKER WEDNESDAY

Morning Everyone

If you did your homework last night you should have your crock pot on low and when you get home walk in to the smell of what a great job you have done. I just wanted to mention to you if you have a sous chef (that would be your partner in crime in the kitchen) you need to make sure you give her credit for helping you cut the vegetables , set the table and just helping out in general. Hope you enjoy this crock pot recipe as it is one of my favorites.

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast in the Crockpot

3-4 pound boneless chuck roast(you can use a cheaper cut of meat cause you are slow cooking1-2 T steak rub

black pepper to taste

1-2 T olive oil (depends on your pan)

1/4 cup water to deglaze pan

2-3 large onions, peeled and thickly slice

1 cup beef stock, reduced to 1/2 cup (can use a can of beef broth, but be sure to reduce it)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup tomato sauce (You can substitute one can diced tomatoes, drained well. you might puree the tomatoes if you like.)

Trim as much fat as you can from roast, and cut if necessary to fit into Crockpot. Rub meat well with steak seasoning and black pepper. Heat heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. This will take a few minutes; don't rush the browning step.
While roast browns put 1 cup beef stock in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly and mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. Peel onions and cut into thick slices. Deglaze( means getting the good stuff off the bottom of the pan that you browned the roast in) with 1/4 cup water and add to sauce mixture.

(You can stop at this point and refrigerate browned roast, cut onions and mixed sauce ingredients and then put them in the Crockpot when you go to work in the morning. Don't refrigerate them in the crockery liner cause it takes a while to get the crockery pot to warm up. Just refrigerate all the ingredients in a large bowl. Having the meat start out cold will add several hours to the cooking time, which will be good if you're cooking it all day while you're away.)

Place onions in bottom of Crockpot. Put meat on top of onions and pour beef stock mixture over. Set Crockpot to low and cook 6-8 hours, until beef is tender. The meat might be partly submerged in liquid after this much time. (If I am home, I might turn the meat once or twice.)
Remove meat from crockpot and cover with foil to keep warm. Drain liquid from Crockpot and remove as much of the fat as you can with fat separator or skim fat off of top . Then you cook down liquid by about 1/3, in a saucepan and serve sauce with meat and onions.

Note: You can put potatoes around the sides as well and when you take the roast out to sit covered in foil before you cut it you can remove the potatoes and sprinkle some seasoning salt on them and put them under the broiler to brown up. A frozen vegetable will also be quick and easy to do as well if you feel that you would like to have a vegetable.

Remember once you have finished your meal put the left over roast in a the fridge as we are going to slice it up on Thursday for Baron of Beef night....

Enjoy

Granny

TIPSY TUESDAY

Morning Everyone

Well today is Tipy Tuesday so I have been thinking of all the tips that I can give you and I have come up with this one for today. Hoping that you have tried some of the recipes on my previous postings and if you have you will notice that I do like to use the oven alot. So my tip is going to be about the oven. When you know that it is a night to cook in the oven the first thing you do after you take off your shoes and coat is go and turn the oven on to the temperature for the meal that you are going to cook. The reason being for that is when you get into the kitchen and start getting the food ready for dinner you have all the prepartion done and then you have to wait for the oven to heat up. If you have the oven preheated then you prepare the dinner put it in the oven go and get cleaned up and before you know it supper is ready. Now that is becoming a good organized cook....

So todays recipe is :

Salisbury Steak

This is the classic salisbury steak made fancy but easy. My Mom used to make this cause it was fast and easy and my brother and I really enjoyed it . My brother Jim and I had chores growing up and one of them was to get supper ready. Our father died when we were very very young so helping out around the house was a must. So I have taken an old favorite and added a few things to makes it fun and more flavorful.

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs ground beef

1 pkg onion soup mix

1 egg beaten

¼ cup bread crumbs

Now these ingredients above are if you want to make your own hamburger patties. But on my grocery list on Saturday there were Salisbury steaks premade on sale so you can use those or make your own.

2 pkgs of brown gravy mix

Mushrooms and onions sliced in rings(optional but good)

Potato Filling

2 servings of instant mashed potatoes(Or make you own)

2tbs bacon crumbles

Dash of parsley

Dash of garlic salt
Dash of chives (green onions)

1 Clove of minced garlic

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Prepare potatoes as directed on package except while boiling the water add the bacon, parsley, garlic salt, and chives.

2. Once it’s boiling add the flakes and milk, stir together, remove from heat and set aside.

3. In large mixing bowl combine beef, onion soup mix, egg, and breadcrumbs and mix until well blended.( or prepared patties)

4. Separate meat into 4 sections (each one will make one stacker)

5. Now separate each section in two and make two round patties

6. Fill the middle of one patty with ¼ of potato mixture and then top with second patty and pinch the sides together so that the potatoes are not visible (making one large round filled patty)

7. Repeat this on remaining 3 sections of meat making four stackers total

8. Prepare brown gravy as directed on package and set aside.

9. In frying pan brown each stacker turning carefully to keep them intact. About 3 minutes on each side

10. Layer half of the gravy on bottom of baking dish and them place the stackers in baking dish carefully about an inch apart

11. Drizzle gravy over each stacker so that it covers the top and drizzles over the sides

12. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes

13. Remove from oven

14. Garnish with sauteed mushrooms and onions (Optional) and then drizzle gravy over each stacker and serve.

These also freeze well .

Hoping you are now getting some premade food in your freezer for those nights where your time is short . The best thing is that when you have them in the freezer and you know you are short of time you will not be tempted to stop and pick up something at the fast food places cause you can take it out that morning let it defrost in your fridge and then you are ready to put in the microwave when you get home.

I have posted what you need to do tonight to have your supper ready for tomorrow night.

Homework for Slow Cooker Wednesday

Balsamic and Onion Pot Roast in the Crockpot

3-4 pound boneless chuck roast(you can use a cheaper cut of meat cause you are slow cooking
1-2 T steak rub
black pepper to taste
1-2 T olive oil (depends on your pan)
1/4 cup water to deglaze pan
2-3 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced1
1 cup beef stock, reduced to 1/2 cup (can use a can of beef broth, but be sure to reduce it)
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup tomato sauce (You can substitute one can diced tomatoes, drained well. you might puree the tomatoes if you like.)

Trim as much fat as you can from roast, and cut if necessary to fit into Crockpot. Rub meat well with steak seasoning and black pepper. Heat heavy pan with small amount of olive oil and brown roast well on both sides. This will take a few minutes; don't rush the browning step.While roast browns put 1 cup beef stock in a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, then let cool slightly and mix in balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. Peel onions and cut into thick slices. Deglaze( means getting the good stuff off the bottom of the pan that you browned the roast in) with 1/4 cup water and add to sauce mixture.
(You can stop at this point and refrigerate browned roast, cut onions and mixed sauce ingredients and then put them in the Crockpot when you go to work in the morning. Don't refrigerate them in the crockery liner cause it takes a while to get the crockery pot to warm up. Just refrigerate all the ingredients in a large bowl. Having the meat start out cold will add several hours to the cooking time, which will be good if you're cooking it all day while you're away.)

Enjoy

Granny