Chicken Stock

So the other day I went to Safeway, and in the marked down meat I found chicken leg quarters for 50% off! Chicken leg quarters are the leg with the thigh attached. So I got 10lbs for $5.00. Two 5 pound packages! They were still in date for two days! So, I threw one package in the freezer and the other I put in my largest stockpot, added an onion, couple carrots, a few garlic cloves, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper, and some parsley. Then, I filled it up as full as I could with water. I brought it up to a boil, then simmered about an hour and a half. I pulled out the chicken and de-boned it (when it was cool enough to handle) - I got enough chicken for 2 casseroles. That went in the freezer. I put the whole stock pot in the fridge until the next day. The next day, all the fat had hardened to the top of the stock, I scooped that out and tossed it. I strained the remaining broth into my other stock pot, and boiled it up for about 5 minutes. Then I poured it into clean jars and sealed. Now I have 4 quarts of glorious home-made chicken stock!!! I use a lot of chicken stock in my recipes. You can use it for soup, to make rice, gravy, even to just flavor vegetables. The bonus is - I have another package in the freezer, which will make all of the above!! (enough chicken for 2 casseroles and 4 quarts of stock). All-in-all that's 4 meals and a lot of stock! This is smart shopping- yay!

These recipes are quite large, to feed my hungry family. With a hungry husband, and 3 teenage sons, they all have healthy appetites! If your family is smaller, you might want to make sure you have plans for the leftovers or cut the recipes in half.

I live in Colorado, about 5,280 feet - so it's high-altitude! Usually adjustments only need to be made with baking; but be careful about heat. I may use medium - to medium high and you might not need to go quite that high.

My family likes meat. I have found when experimenting with new recipes I use less vegatable and pasta - and increase the meat. If you're not a big meat eater - you may want to adjust - or get your recipes somewhere else - GO MEAT!

I only use 80/20 ground beef. Sometimes I use 85/15 (Ground Chuck) if I can find it on sale - and I don't make any adjustments.

I love to use fresh herbs. I started growing my own herbs about 8 years ago and in our climate have had great luck with oregano and thyme coming back every year. Parsley and sage grow very easily in a garden but unfortunately I didn't plant soon enough this year so I missed out. My thyme plant also didn't make it through last winter (it was a colder winter than usual) - so I will have to replace that. I don't have luck with basil so I use usually use dried. Even if you're not much of a gardener, I strongly recommend trying your hand at herbs. They are so easy to grow and you will save money not having to buy them (either dry or fresh). It is also quite easy to dry your own herbs at the end of the season so you can have quite a bit on hand for awhile. Only plant herbs you plan on using. If you don't use tarrogon - don't plant it! Do a little research because some herbs can take over your gardens and you'll have a hard time getting rid of it (like mint).

I rarely use canned tomatoes. I like Rotel style tomatoes, but you will notice in my recipes I use tomato sauce. We're just not big on crushed or canned tomatoes - so if you like tomatoes you might experiment a little in recipes that I call for tomato sauce.

I love cooking meat and deglazing the pan with wine. About a year ago I didn't have any white wine to deglaze the pan for Spaghetti Carbonara (see my alphabetical list of recipes) but had a beer in the fridge so i used that. It was delicious! Now I usually deglaze with beer (it's cheaper too). You can experiment with light, medium and dark beer for a different flavor.

Beef Enchiladas
1-1/2 cups cooked ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
1 can cream mushroom soup
9 to 12 tortillas (I used flour your choice - see below if using corn tortillas**)
3 cups - divided shredded cheddar cheese
10 oz. can tomato soup
28 oz. can medium heat enchilada sauce (green)****

Combine meat, 1 1/2 cups cheese, tomato soup and onion; set aside. In separate bowl,
combine mushroom soup and enchilada sauce. Divide meat mixture (about 1/2 C per tortilla) among tortillas and roll up. Place seam side down in a 13x9 pan. Pour sauce over and sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake at 350 about 25 mins.

**Using corn tortillas is traditional and especially delicious, but you have to prepare them
properly. The best way is to use a cast iron skillet with a little oil and heat each corn tortilla a minute or two (it will blister a little bit) on each side. If that's too much work, just dip them in sauce before rolling. My Hispanic friends tell me it's just to make them "soft".

****Becuase I live in Colorado we have wonderful access to a variety of Mexican food. You may not be able to get green enchilada sauce where you live, you can use red (which is actually more traditional) - it's just a tomato base - so you'll have a more tomato sauce base. It also won't have much heat to it. I would suggest using 2 or 3 cans of rotel tomatos (and mix that with the cream of mushroom soup) or even a good size jar of salsa. Another note, I paid $3.89 for a can of green enchilada sauce - OUCH! I'm going to start making my own, and I'll post that in the future.

NOTE: You could easily use chicken in this recipe. Also, I have been to many potlucks where they stuffed the enchiladas with cheese and onion (no meat) and they are DELICIOUS! Meatless makes a great side with tacos.

Spaghetti & Roasted Meatballs

With the exception of a pot to boil the spaghetti in, this is a one pan dish. You should be able to get it on the table in less than 45 minutes. I make it on busy weeknights and it seems pretty effortless to feed the masses! But don't let that fool you. This dish is Italian restaurant worthy and your family will be grateful!

Preheat oven to 425

Place in a small bowl to soak while you start the meatballs:
4 slices of soft white bread, torn into SMALL pieces
3/4 Cup milk

In a large bowl combine mix well and set aside:
2lbs hamburger
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
a little salt & pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley (or couple tablespoons dried)
1 cup grated parmsean cheese
1 tbsp dried oregeno (I usually use 3 Tbsp fresh if I have it)
1 tbsp dried basil (I usually use 3 Tbsp fresh if I have it)
1 tbsp paprika

Pour into a 13 x 9 pan:
2 28oz cans tomato sauce
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp parsley
salt & pepper

Squeeze out as much milk from the soaking bread cubes as you can, then add the drained bread to the meat mixture. Make into 12 large meatballs, about the size of a tennis ball. Place all meatballs in the 13x9 pan, right ontop of the sauce mixture. the meatball will probably only be covered by 1/2.

Bake 30 minutes.

I start my water to boil the spaghetti after the meatballs have been in the oven 10 minutes, which gives me time to boil the water and cook the spaghetti. This way everything comes out ready at the same time (give or take a couple minutes!).

Linguine with Clam Sauce

Sounds fancy? It is! Sounds hard to make? - It's not!! This recipe is so easy you can make it in about the time it takes to boil the noodles! Expensive? NOT! Canned clams at $1.89 a can make this dish an affordable luxury!

1 lb. linguine (you can even cheat and use spaghetti if need be)
olive oiland butter to saute
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
white wine or beer to de-glaze the pan
2 cans (about the same size as a tuna can) minced clams (drain but save the clam juice!)
lemon juice - a good couple squeezes (couple tablespoons)
cream - a splash (if you have it - 1/2 & 1/2 or canned milk works in a pinch)
chopped parsley
salt & pepper to taste
grated parmesean cheese to top with

Start the water to boil noodles and cook to package directions (al dente). Put a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet and a couple pats of butter. Once the butter starts to melt add the onion (and a pinch of salt to bring out the juices). Then add the garlic and saute a little bit. Add the clams and cook a few minutes. Add the lemon juice and incorporate. Add a splash of wine or beer and cook the alcohol off - deglaze the pan if necessary. Add the reserved clam juice and a splash of cream; cook a few minutes more then add parsley - check if you need salt & pepper. Add the cooked noodles and toss with tongs. Serve with fresh parmesean cheese on top.

That's it!!

Bacon Wrapped Lil Smokies - Crockpot

Ingredients:
1 pound bacon
1 package Lil Smokies (I use cheese filled)
3 cups brown sugar

Directions:

Cut bacon in thirds. Wrap bacon around hot dog pieces and secure with toothpick. Place in crock pot and pour brown sugar over them. Cook on high 3-4 hours or until bacon is brown

Stuffed French Bread Meal

Note, don't brown the hamburger for this dish. As it cooks on the bread, the grease soaks in the bread and makes it delicious. It comes out great (not soggy & greasy). This is a hearty, fast, great tasting dish!

6 oz evaporated milk (1/2 can)
2 lbs hamburger (raw)
1 egg
1/2 C chopped onion
1 tbsp mustard
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 C grated cheese (I use cheddar but use what you have)
1 loaf french bread from the supermarket

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients except french bread (don't discard any of the inside of the bread you need it to absorb hamburger grease). Cut bread in half lengthwise. Spread meat mixture on each half. Wrap foil around bottom of bread so it doesn't burn. Bake 30 minutes, top with cheese bake 5 minutes more.

Sloppy Joe-Mama

This isn't your typical sloppy joe - it's good enough to serve to company!

2 loaves of french bread (from the supermarket), slice in half lengthwise
½ lb bacon, chopped in 1” pieces
2 pounds ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 small carrot peeled and grated (or finely chopped)
Salt & pepper
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon each oregano & basil
1/2 cup beer (or red wine to de-glaze the pan)
1/2 cup beef broth
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
½ to 1 C chopped parsley
1 pound shredded mozzarella (2 to 4 cups)
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Split bread lengthwise then cut in half again and hollow out some of the insides of bread. Lightly crisp bread in oven, about 3-5 minutes. Remove bread and switch broiler on.

Cook bacon in a little olive oil on medium high heat. After the bacon renders most of the fat (not too crisp) add ground beef and brown well. Add garlic, onions and carrots and season with salt & pepper. Add Worcestershire, oregano, and basil, cook about 10 minutes more, stirring frequently. Add beer to de-glaze pan. Add beef broth, tomato sauce, and parsley and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Fill breads with mixture and top with a thin layer of mozzarella and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Place under broiler to melt cheese.

Truffles (Almost)

Ok so they're not real truffles, but don't let them know your secret! These are a holiday favorite! They are almost too pretty to eat!

20 oz package of oreos (generic ok)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 package each white & chocolate (chips or candy qwik meltable chocolate)

Crush cookies in plastic bag or food processor. In a mixing bowl, mix cookies crumbs with softened cream cheese. Roll in to small balls (3/4"). Let set on waxed paper, cover and refrigerate.

Melt chocolate according to package directions (I use the microwave). I dip the balls in chocolate and drizzle with white. you can do the reverse and/or a combination. Delicious!

Irish Creme (like Bailey's)

This is what we're making this Christmas (and have in many before). If you're weirded out about "raw" eggs, omit them and use 1 cup of brewed coffee that has been cooled (instead of instant granules). We have made this for years and use the raw eggs.

1 C Whipping Cream
1 2/3 Cup Whiskey (Brandy is nice too)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
2 eggs
1 tsp instant coffee
2 tbsp chocolate syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond

Blend all ingredients well in a blender. Keep refrigerated. Pour a shot or two in hot coffee. Also delicious over ice with a shot of peppermint schnappes. Pour a shot of butterscotch schnappes in a shotglass, add a little of this irish cream on top for a slider (shot).

Cinnamon Granola

This recipe was modified from Ina Garten's Food Network show, which I saw around 2006. It's very easy and delicious.

Cinnamon Granola

4 C rolled oats
2 C sweetened shredded coconut
2 C sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries (dried cherries or raisins work well too)
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/3 C honey
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Toss oats, coconut, almonds, and dried fruit in large bowl. Pour the vegetable oil and honey over the oat mixture. Add cinnamon, stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice golden brown, about 25-30 mins. Remove the granola from the oven, cool, stirring occasionally. Store in airtight container.

Spaghetti Carbonara

(Bacon & Eggs Spaghetti)

I was leary about posting this recipe because it's something you throw together without even reading a recipe card and what really makes the dish is the cooking technique. It's so delicious - one of my family's favorites. This is a regular (at least once a month) in our house! Traditionally, italians make this with pancetta or prosciutto (an italian style ham / bacon) - but who can afford that? We use bacon (on sale of course) and it is like a gourmet meal! Once you get the hang of this dish - you will make it again and again as it is affordable and delicious!

1 lb. bacon (chopped into 1" pieces)
1 small onion - chopped
2 cloves garlic - chopped
1 cup of white wine (or 1 cup of beer) - to deglaze the pan
2 cups parmesean cheese * (see note) reserve a 1/4 cup or so to sprinkle on top
handfull of chopped parsley (or a couple tbsp. of dried)
4 eggs - beaten
1 lb. spaghetti

Cook chopped bacon in a large skillet - as the fat starts to render add onion & garlic.

Start the water to boil for the spaghetti - when it comes to a boil add a good amount of salt** (see note) and start to cook the spaghetti.

When the bacon starts to get crisp - turn down the heat until the spaghetti is done. Don't deglaze the pan until the spaghetti is ready.

When the spaghetti is done, drain the grease off the bacon turn up the heat a little and deglaze the pan with the wine. Reserve some hot water (about 1 to 1 1/2 cups)in a small sauce pan before draining the spaghetti. Drain the spaghetti and dump immediately into the skillet. Toss with tongs.

Ok, here is where it's a little tricky -

Pour the reserved hot spaghetti water into the beaten eggs while whisking them (this is called tempuring the eggs so they don't "scramble").

Put 1 1/2 cups of Parmesean cheese in the spaghetti pan

Pour in the tempured eggs, add the parsely

Take your tongs and toss, toss, toss; continually until the eggs are "cooked". This is hard to explain because the eggs mix with the parm cheese and sort of make a saucy custard like coating.

Serve immediately with more parm on top!

*I buy parmesean cheese in a chunk and grate it on a large grate (the same size as cheddar) You can also buy already grated parmesean cheese - which I've used in this dish and it works fine. DO NOT USE CANNED PARMESEAN CHEESE.

**I was watching Tyler's Ultimate on the Food Network and he said when salting water for pasta you want to add enough salt that it's actually like a broth. Since watching that I started adding a good amount to my pasta and it really does taste better (like a couple 3 tablespoons of kosher salt for a large pot of 16oz spaghetti).

Creamy Chicken Enchilada Recipe

This is easy and delicious - your family will definiately request this again!

12 flour tortillas
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 cups sour cream
2 small cans diced green chiles *
3 cups shredded chicken
2 to 3 cups shredded cheddar or jack or combination cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13 x 9 pan. Mix soup, sour cream and chiles together, spread about 1/4 to 1/2 cup on bottom of baking pan. Reserve 1/2 to 3/4 cup of soup/sourcream mixture and set aside. Add chicken to soup mixture. Cut tortillas in half and arrange 6 halfs on the bottom of baking pan (to cover). Top with soup/chicken mixture, and 3/4's of the cheese. Top with remaining tortillas, spread reserved soup/sourcream/chile mixture on top; top with remaining cheese. Bake about 20-25 mins.

*a can of rotel tomotoes with chiles (drained) can be used in place of chiles (or 1 can chiles with 1 can soup).

Home Made Cherry Pie Filling


You will never buy pie filling in a can again! So much better than what you buy on the grocery store shelf - and so easy and cost effective. No preservatives in this stuff. I made cherry the other day - a 16oz bag of frozen cherries would be enough for cheese cake topping but I would double for a pie. I can't wait to try other fruits!


Cherry Pie Filling


2 cups pitted cherries (or 16 oz bag frozen, slightly thawed)**see note
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch


**Note if using frozen fruit decrease water to 1/8 cup or even no water depending on how 'watery'.


In a saucepan, cook cherries in water for 10 minutes. Mix together the sugar and cornstarch (this is very important to mix together well); add to cherries. Cook cherry mixture until thickened. Cool slightly before using to fill pie shell or other dessert.

Freezer Jam
I was a little leary of using jello to make jam with - but I always wanted to try it and the results are excellent! I can get Jello on sale at Walgreens often as cheap as 25cents a box - this makes using jello (instead of pectin) a great (frugal) option!! My family loves this jam.

Freezer Jam
2-3 cups mashed strawberries (or other soft fruit), depending on desired thickness
3 cups sugar

Bring to a hard boil in a large pot. (It boils up)
Reduce heat to medium, skim off 'foam'
Boil 10 minutes.

Add: 1 3-oz. package flavored gelatin, your choice of flavors

Mix until well dissolved and bring to a boiling point again. Remove from heat and let set a few minutes. Stir again.

Put in sterilized jars or freezer containers and keep in refrigerator or freezer. The fun of this recipe is the options you can use! Can be easily doubled.

Beer Cheese Soup

This stuff tastes like it comes from a fancy restaurant. What a great thing to serve on a cold Football Sunday afternoon. The original recipe calls for Cheese-Whiz. I'm sure that's DELICIOUS but its very expensive (3 jars would be about $18). Velveeta is about 1/2 the price and my soup lovers never knew!

2 1/2 lbs Velveeta (that's right - a package and one-half!)
3 cans (15 0z) chicken broth
2 12oz cans beer - open the cans to settle a little
salt & pepper to taste
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 lb. bacon (for topping)
green onions or chives, chopped

Chop bacon and fry in a pan, set aside. Put chicken broth in large soup pot, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-ish and add Velveeta. I like to slice/chunk it up a little. Stir until cheese is melted. Add beer and seasonings. Stir until hot, I like to simmer for an hour (if you have time).

Serve with crumbled bacon & green onions on top.
Garlic Bread and a salad goes great with this.

Crab Quiche

Feed crab to teenage boys? Is that affordable? Every now and then Walgreens has a sale on canned crab that I can't pass up. They are about 6oz (same as regular tuna can) - I use this for this recipe and it's excellent! As for pie crust, try Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, they are pretty good and of course EASY. I keep them on hand especially for Quiche! Unless you have the talent to make your own, frozen just doesn't seem as good.

3/4 C mayonnaise
2 T flour
3 eggs
3/4 C evaporated milk
2 cans crab meat - drained well (about 1 C)
1 1/2 C shredded cheese (swiss or Monterey jack - combo of mozzarella & cheddar is fine)
1/2 C green onions, chopped
2 tbsp parsley (fresh or dry)
Optional: a couple tablespoons of chopped roasted red pepper adds a nice touch if you have it on hand
9" unbaked pie crust

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, mayonnaise, flour, and milk until thoroughly blended. Stir in crab, cheese, and onion. Spread into pie shell. Take strips of foil about 2" wide to wrap around the edges of your pie crust so they don't burn, remove the foil about the last 15 minutes of baking. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Chocolate Ice Cream Topping

This is fast, easy, and delicious! You probably have all of these ingredients on hand!

1 C sugar
4 Tbsp cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
3-4 Tbsp butter
1/4 Cup water (more or less to make a stirable consistency)**see note
1/2 tspf vanilla extract

**Note: if you have leftover coffee from the morning use 1/2 water 1/2 coffee for a great flavor. it won't taste like coffee - it's just a "hmmm that's good" taste

Combine sugar, cocoa, and salt in small saucepan. Add enough water to make stir able constancy. Add butter to cocoa mixture. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Allow to boil for 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat. Add vanilla.

Enjoy!

Can't Leave Alone Bars

These are easy to make (from a cake mix) and delicious as a dessert, snack or kids lunch treat.

INGREDIENTS
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) white cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter, cubed

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, eggs and oil. With floured hands, press two-thirds of the mixture into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Set remaining cake mixture aside.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the milk, chocolate chips and butter. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 30 seconds; stir. Microwave 30-45 seconds longer or until chips and butter are melted; stir until smooth. Pour over crust.
Drop by teaspoonfuls of remaining cake mixture over top. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool before cutting. Yield: 3 dozen.

Tuna Burgers

This is a great, inexpensive meal that my family loves. Add this to your menu planning once a month (or even twice) and watch your grocery budget shrink!

1 can tuna in water drained and mashed with fork (we prefer white albacore)
10-12 saltine crackers, crushed
1/4 c. onion diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg (1 egg per can of tuna used)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mash together ingredients with a fork and allow to sit for 30 min (in the fridge) to allow crackers to absorb moisture. Form into balls then gently pat out to form a small cake(1 can makes 4 small cakes). Heat skillet on med-high heat add olive oil and a small amount of butter. Add cakes to oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. You want them a little crisp, don't flip them too early they can fall apart - the crispy sides help keep them together. We add sliced cheese at the end to melt on top and serve on hamburger buns with mayo, lettuce and tomato. No matter how much I make - we never have any leftovers of these!