WEEKLY MENU MONDAY

Morning Everyone.

Sorry I am a bit late this morning. Catching up on a few things. Hope you all had a great Halloween. We got to spend the day in Vancouver to celebrate a great friends 60th birthday , then catch the ferry home and go out Trick or Treating with the grandkids.



Monday: Beef Enchiladas
Tuesday:Salsbury Steak
Wednesday: Crock Pot Roast
Thursday: Soup as a Meal
Friday :Baron of Beef (from left over roast)
Saturday: App's or Date Night
Sunday:Oriental Pork Roast

Here is the recipe for tonight and enjoy. Easy to do and there should be leftovers for you to freeze. Not every recipe that I suggest you are going to like so when you have leftovers in the freezer that is when they will come in handy.

BEEF ENCHILADAS

A hearty serving of Tex-Mex food. These enchiladas are a flavorful combination of ingredients and a rich homemade sauce.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1 cup (8 oz) 4% cottage cheese

1 can (4-1/4 ox) chopped ripe olives, drained (optional)

2 Tbs minced fresh parsley

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

8 flour tortillas (6 inches)

SAUCE:

1 med onion chopped

1/2 med green pepper chopped

1 Tbs vegetable oil

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilles(optinal they are good just get the mild if you do not like hot)

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a skillet, brown ground beef. Drain.Combine with cottage cheese, olives, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Place about 1/3 cup filling on each tortilla, roll up.

Place tortillas, seam side down, in an ungreased 13x9x2 baking pan

I like to pour just a little bit of milk over top just so the tortilla shells do not dry out while cooking

For sauce, saute the onion and green pepper in oil until tender over med/hi heat. Add tomato sauce, green chiles, chili powder, sugar and garlic powder. Pour over tortillas.

Cover and bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven after 30 minuets and sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese melts.

If you would like to add a side dish I would recommend a coleslaw. You can buy already prepared coleslaw in the produce section. I like to use my food processor (best kitchen utensil ever) to make the coleslaw smaller and then I shred up some carrots (you can use your grater if you do not have a processor)and add to the coleslaw. In the salad dressing department they have cole slaw dressing and voila you will have a nice side dish for your enchiladas..

Well talk to you tomorrow and to my Family do not forget that you are to have me your Christmas lists today ...

Cheers

Granny

SHOPPING SATURDAY

Morning Everyone





Well it is shopping Saturday and there is some good deals on food today. I wanted to mention to you as well that I love looking at all kinds of flyers and do window shopping if there is something that you are looking for in particular just send me a note and I will try and find out where the best deal is.....





Like I said yesterday it is Appy night. There is lots to watch on the TV tonight if you are a sports Fan .. You should have left over pizza from last night , I always like cold pizza but you can always reheat it as well. If you ate both pizzas last night Safeway this week has the PIAZZAS pizzas on Buy 1 get Free so that is a great deal and good to freeze one for when you have another appy night or Fast Food Friday..Thriftys also have there Pizza's on 2 for $12.00 so both are a good deal. Walmart has 18 pack of chicken wings for $9.97 as well as Frozen Pinty assorted products for $5.00. P preferr to make my own chicken wings , I have a great recipe and I will get to that in a couple of weeks.



Here is the list of sales at the Grocery Stores



Safeway



Standing Rib Roast $5.00 a pound

Tomatoes 5lbs for $5.00

Pork Back Ribs $5.00

Knorr Sidekicks 4 for $5.00

Classico Pasta Sauce $3.99

Homemade soups $4.99 need those for supper tomorrow night.



Just wanted to let you know that every first Tuesday of the month they have 10% off of your bill . So if shopping Tuesdays of the week work better for you that gives you a better deal again.



WALMART



Chicken breast and thighs $10.00

Asparagus $2.97 a pound (Going to give you a recipe to cook this)

Beef Steakettes 3 for $5.00 (recipe this week)

Pork and Beef roasts $7.00 (recipe this week)

Uncle Bens Bistro Express $2.00 each

Cereals $3.97



THRIFTYS

Extra Lean Ground Beef buy 1 get 1 free

Armstrong white cheddar cheese $8.99

Broccoli $.99 per lb

Sweet Bell Peppers 2lb bag $3.99

Olivieri Fresh Pasta Buy 1 get 1 free

Knorr Broth 2 for $4.00

Tortilla Wraps 2 for $6.00 (recipe this week)

Catelli Pasta 2 for $5.00

Tomato Sauce 3 for $4.00



Country Grocers



Taquitos $6.97

McCain sweet Potato Fries $2.97

Cheemo :Perogies 2 for $5.00

Baby Nugget White Potatoes $1.47 per lb



Well off to Vancouver for the weekend so will touch base with you all on Monday Morning with you Weekly Menu Monday. You all have a good time Trick or Treating and I know there will be no Sit Down Sunday so what I suggest is for you to have one of the Safeway soups that you bought today and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches ,quick and easy before you head out to get your treats. Remember to take a nice warm cup of hot chocolate in your coffee cup and stay SAFE...



Cheers

Granny

FAST FOOD FRIDAY

MORNING EVERYONE

Hope this weather gets better for the Trick or Treaters. When my kids were little we used to give candy to the trick or treaters and had a campstove in the driveway with weiners and made hotdogs and hot coffee for the parents. Once the parents got home from work there was never time to cook dinner cause the kids were so excited about getting out to get the candy. How times of changed now they all go to the malls and firehalls. It is a shame cause those of us who have now got grown up kids and grandkids still like to see the little one come to our doors in their costumes saying those famous words TRICK OR TREAT..

Tonights dinner is real easy and is fast food but with some added flair..

Last week shopping there was a good deal on frozen pizza so I had suggested that you pick one or two up and have them in the freezer for nights like tonight. If you did not buy one just pick a couple up on your way home so you can cook two tonight and that way you can eat one tonight and have the other one cold tomorrow for part of your appy night.

You will also need some grated cheese , small package of hamburger and some Italian sausage , it is with regular sausages or some pepperoni. Once you get home turn on the oven to the temperature on the box. While the oven is heating up you are going to cook the small package of hamburger and take the Italian sausage out of the casing and fry it with the hamburger.

Cover both pizzas with the meat mixture and cheese to turn a store bought pizza into your very own home delivery pizza. Bake one of them while you relax a bit from work or helping the kids with their homework. When the beeper goes off remove the cooked pizza let it sit for a couple of minutes then slice and arrange on a large plate and serve at the table with little plates. You can always make a full meal out of this pizza by serving with a salad.

Just before you sit down put the other pizza in the oven to bake for Saturdays appy night..

A little bit of a tip : if you use too much Cheddar Cheese rather then a white cheese (we like Havarti Jalepeno Cheese ) you will find that the pizza might be too greasy. Cheddar cheese is very oily.

Cheers

Granny

THRIFTY THURSDAY

Morning

Well this is the first Thrifty Thursday . So the first thing should be about saving money$$


Save Your Pocket Change
If you empty your pockets or purse of change every day and set it aside, you might average about $2.00 a day or $730.00 per year. Try and make a habit of doing this and look at the money that you will have by the time Christmas rolls around. The change goes into a bowl on the top of the refrigerator. Out of sight and out of mind you will never miss it.

We are getting closer to the weekend and Halloween. Tonights dinner is nice and easy and very economical to make. The first thing you have to do is make rice or broad no yolk noodles is also very good. When you make pasta just remember you first boil enough water that will cover the noodles and cook for 8 minutes. Make sure you do not add the noodles til the water has boiled. Do not over cook pasta and cook the whole bag and freeze whatever you do not use. If you had some left over from Chicken Tettrazini it should already be in the freezer so just put it in a strainer or colander and pour boiling water overtop and you are ready to put the Beef and Broccoli on top. Now how easy was that.

Easy Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients:
1 head broccoli - about 12 oz / 350g
8oz / 250g mushrooms, sliced
8oz / 250g lean beef - fillet, rump or another steak cut
1 bell pepper, finely sliced
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oil for shallow frying


Method:
1.Cut the meat into slivers. *
2.Steam or lightly boil the whole broccoli head in a little water until it is just cooked. It should still be quite crisp and perfectly green. Don't overcook it otherwise you land up with bitter yellowy broccoli. Once cooked put it in a bowl of cold water to stop it from cooking and to keep it green.
3.Break into florets.
4.Fry the bell pepper until it is just soft.
5.Add the mushrooms and fry for two minutes. Do this at a high heat so that they cook quickly and don't lose their shape.
6.Add the meat and fry until it is just cooked. You may like it slightly pink in the middle, or you can cook it a little longer so that it is well-done.
7.Add the soy sauce and the broccoli florets. Cook for a minute.
8.Serve with rice.
As an option, you could sprinkle toasted cashew nuts or sunflower seeds over the top


*NOTE.

Look at the way that the lines are running in the steak and if you slice this steak in the same direction as those lines, you'll have to chew through the fibers. Whereas if you cut across the lines, the knife will have already done that work. When you see in a recipe and it says slice cross the grain that is what it means. Think of it similarly to slicing a stalk of celery. The strings are less likely to get caught in your teeth if you cut those strings into smaller lengths.

Enjoy
Granny

PS..If you bought a frozen pizza that is what your are having to eat on Fast Food Friday. What I would recommend you do is buy some sliced pepperoni at the deli and have some grated cheese on hand cause you will add that to your bought pizza.

SLOW COOKER WEDNESDAY

Morning Everyone.

Well you should either be at work with the slow cooker turned on this morning or you are at home putting it on.
I know sometimes that a slow cooker recipe will say to cook on low for 8 hours but if it is longer then that till you get home it will still taste good.

Since I posted the recipe yesterday there will not be a mealtime recipe posted on todays sight..

If you are wanting to slow cook this morning just check out yesterdays blog and get started..

Here is a quick snack for football Sunday

Ingredients
9 cups Corn Chex®, Rice Chex® or Wheat Chex® cereal (or combination)
2 cups bite-size pretzel twists
2 cups bite-size cheese crackers(Goldfish are good)
2 cups of mixed peanuts(Bulk Food Dept.)
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing and seasoning mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In large microwaveable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in cereal, pretzels and crackers until evenly coated. Stir in dressing mix and cheese until evenly coated.
Microwave uncovered on High 3 minutes, stirring each minute. Spread on waxed paper or foil to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container

I just realized that we were going to do Beef and Broccoli in the Slowcooker , but since we did Beef Stew we are going to do Easy Beef and Broccoli in the skillet over Rice. Just growing pains will get the hang of this hopefully sooner then later.

If there is any particular thing that you would like a recipe for just email me and I will post it on the blog cause I am sure if you are thinking it so is someone else.


Cheers
Judy

HOMEWORK FOR TONIGHT

Okay here is the homework.

First make sure that you have all the ingredients that you need. You might have to take a trip to Walmart or Canadian tire to pick up a cheap slow cooker , you can get them for around $25.00 one of the best kitchen utensils you will have . If that does not work for you put it on your Christmas List..

So here we go...I have included the recipe as well. What I need you to do tonight is to cut up your vegetables and follow the directions for preparation and then put it all in the slower cooker pot (hoping you have a removeable pot) in the fridge. Then first thing in the morning before you head for work put the Slower Cooker on and set on low and when you get home from work and open the door it will smell like you were home again smelling your moms home cooking. Great idea call your mom today and invite her over for dinner tonight......My girlfriend Pat would love that






Beef and Potato Stew





INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. stew beef ( or buy a large round steak and cut it in chunks yourself ,cheaper)
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. paprika
4 lg. carrots (can use baby carrots as well)
3 lg. potatoes (cut in quarters)
1 c. condensed beef broth
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. soy sauce( this is all the salt content that you will need
1 lg. onion
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz.)
Barbacue Sauce

DIRECTIONS
Layer potatoes, then carrots. Top with meat; sprinkle meat with soy sauce, paprika, pepper & flour. Spread with chopped onions. Combine beef broth & tomato sauce & pour overall. Cover & cook on low 7 - 8 hrs. or high 4 - 5 hrs.

NOTES: Instead of sprinkling the meat with soy sauce, salt, paprika, pepper & flour as the recipes says, I mix those all together in a small bowl. This prevents the flour from becoming clumpy. Instead of chopped onions, I use 3 or 4 small yellow onions whole (Not all of my family are onions fan but still like the taste they give the stew. ) I add about 1/4 cup barbecue sauce to the top, before putting the cover on. I use whatever variety of sauce that I have on hand. I don't usually buy the "regular" flavor of any brand, but instead have hickory, brown sugar or garlic and onion flavors. The BBQ sauce adds an extra "kick" to the meat and gravy. For the beef broth, since I don't usually keep that on hand, I dissolve 1 beef bouillon cube into 1 cup boiling water.




Another easier option is to buy the SLOW COOKER SPICE PACKAGE the same idea as those of you that buy the gravy mixture . Clubhouse makes some pretty good spice combinations that we will use in a few of our recipes but just use the same ingredients like your meat and vegetables along with the spice package.

Now about Slow Cookers....

You should only fill the cooker no more then 2 thirds full as you need the last third to create the steam to cook. Everytime you take that lid off the cooker it takes 20 minutes off of the cooking time. So be patient. If you wish and you have a large crockpot (slowcooker) you can double this recipe and freeze half of it for another night or have some for lunch the next day.

Cheers

Granny

Tipsy Tuesday

Morning. Every Tuesday I am going to give you a tip of some sort. This tip is one of my favorites. Tonight you will be making pasta so I want you to cook the whole box or bag of pasta even though you will not use it all for tonight. What you do not use you are going to put in a freezer bag for the next time. I do not oil my pasta when I cook it cause I find that the sauce does not stick to the pasta as well but I do put a bit of salt in it for cooking. Now when it is time to use the frozen pasta you are going to boil your kettle and then put the pasta in a colander or strainer in the sink and pour your boiled water overtop and Voila you have a cooked pasta . Remember to always read the recipe in full first cause at the end I might give you a quick and easier way for you to prepare the meal.

Recipe for tonight is

Chicken Tetrazzini

INGREDIENTS
3.5 oz uncooked spaghetti, broken into thirds
1 cup Green Giant frozen peas (from 1-lb bag)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth (from carton or chicken broth soup)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon water
1 cup cubed up chicken that you cooked last night. If need be you can use a deli rotisserie chicken (from 2- to 2 1/2-lb chicken) or pan fry or bake a couple of chicken breasts then once cooked cut in cubes
1 can drained canned sliced mushrooms or sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS
1 Heat oven to 350°F. Cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package, adding peas during last 3 minutes of cooking.
2 Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.
3 Stir in broth and whipping cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. then add spaghetti and peas, chicken and mushrooms.
4 Into ungreased 8-inch square baking dish, pour spaghetti mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until bubbly in center.

Now if you do not want to make your own sauce you can always buy one of the prepared cream sauce or a jar of Alfredo sauce. I do like to make my own but what ever is easier for you. If this is what you want to do you eliminate step 2 and the first part of stop 3 and just add the other ingredients to the sauce that you buy. I just want you to enjoy cooking first, then as you realize that it is easy to cook then you can make your own sauce.

Tomorrow is Slow Cooker Wednesday so I will give you your homework that you have to do tonight. You will have to prep what you are going to put in the crockpot in the morning....Give me a couple of hours to get it ready and then check back to see what you are cooking and what you will need....

Cheers

Granny