Dinner On a Budget!

Food these days has become extremely expensive so it is important for you to shop and get the best bang for your buck.  First, you should know what your family likes eating.  If your family is used to eating fast food, then you plan to serve them basically the same food but actually cooking whole food instead of the fast convenient food.

The keyword to all of this is planning.  If your family enjoys chicken then buy chicken parts, thighs, legs, wings.  Bake your chicken instead of frying using the seasoning that will enhance the flavor, such as poultry seasoning, Montreal chicken seasoning and sometimes I like to use a little Italian dressing I even use some Thai Chile seasoning, it has a sweet tangy taste with a little kick.  Your family will enjoy it.

Next, instead of french fries, I would introduce my family to a few food items, Wide egg noodles, mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or even sweet potatoes, did you know that there are white sweet potatoes also,

Finally, you incorporate some green vegetables into the menu, most people like string beans, collard greens or even broccoli or peas.  These vegetables can be prepared by steaming for greater flavor or boiling with lots of butter salt and pepper to taste for seasoning.

If you can remember that if you keep once a month when you shop, to pick up staple items like onions, potatoes rice, pasta (noodles, macaroni, spaghetti) Marinara sauce, celery, carrots, olive oil or canola oil, this will make a big difference on your household food budget.  Also, if you enjoy grits, cornmeal don't forget these items.  With these items, you and your family can plan meals for the entire month on a reasonable budget.

These are some of the foods that will help you make a few meals without breaking the bank  I feel that you save money when you buy what you need when you need it.  Sometimes when you shop and buy vegetables especially ahead of the time you want to use it, before you realize it, the vegetables have begun to spoil. Also with tomatoes, do not store them in the refrigerator, they will go bad faster.  One way to remember is to pay attention to the way they are stored in the market.  If they are not stored in plastic bags, then when you come home remove the plastic to keep your food from spoiling.

Karen's Bread Pudding

I think that Bread Pudding is one of my favorite desserts. I always liked it as a child when my momma would make it for us during the winter time. Momma was not what you would call a good cook. She really enjoy sweets   like cake and cookies. She would make us ginger bread with whipped cream or lemon sauce. Whenever I eat these foods I think of my momma.

It was about 7 years ago I went to a Convention in King of Prussia PA. in the Raddisson Hotel and I ate the best Bread Pudding I ever had.  It was perfect it was soft and sweet and it had just enough raisins.  I should have went in the Kitchen and asked the chef how did he come up with the recipe but I didn't.  So since then I have been trying to get that same texture and taste but so far to no avail.

The formula I did come up with that had the taste but not quite the texture but close was this:

I had day old french bread.I didn't cut it in squares but I put it in a blender and pulsed it a few times, then on the stove I made the same custard I would make for banana pudding which is 1 cup of sugar, 4 egg yokes and vanilla, pinch of salt, 1 1/2 cup of heavy cream with a little flour about 1.3 cup then I in a double boiler stirred until thickened and poured it into the backing dish I let it all sink in and then I also added dried cranberries and chopped pecans, then I baked it in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes until it was brown on top and knife inserted came out clean, This dessert is best eaten warm with light cream, whipped cream or rum sauce.

2018 NO KNEAD DUTCH OVEN CRUSTY BREAD

This is truly the best crust bread I have ever made.  It is so easy and simple that anyone will have success.  As a matter of fact you can put anything you want to it.  You can make it with raisins, cranberries, nuts flax seed etc.  It is simply wonderful to serve when company comes.  so here is the Recipe:

3 cups of all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. dry active yeast

1 cup of room temp. water.

anything else you want to incorporate.

With a wooden spoon mix all ingredients well, it should be very sticky. Take a good amount of flour in your hands this will allow you to handle the bread dough better and shape it into a ball.  You will the shape into a ball and put it into your dutch oven or a glass or metal bowl cover then let it rise for 12 to 18 hours.

After the bread has set for at least 12 hours place covered into a 450 degree oven for 30  minutes then remove from oven uncover  score the bread I usually put an X on the top of the bread. then put back into the oven until golden brown, leave in until it is the type of brown that you like. This usually takes another 30 minutes.

I usually have my bread on a cookie sheet and with parchment paper underneath this was it brown on all sides.  After you let the bread cool slice into thin slices and eat with cream cheese, butter.  I made one bread with cranberries and pecans and it was very good.  I am going to try Thyme and  black olives, then I might even make cinnamon bread that I can spread my apple butter on,

This is how the bread looks after you mike all the ingredients up and put into the dutch oven

 it looks when you remove it from the oven this is the way.  So this bread is open to so many different ways , it is truly the easiest bread I have made so far.  If you can think of different flavors write me a comment or let me know how your bread turns out.

FRESH MULBERRY JAM

Yes "Here we go round the Mulberry Bush early in the morning".  In my drive way I have what use to be a Mulberry bush but over many years that bush has grown into a very big tree.  O course all the good Mulberries are at the top and the birds are having their annual uninterrupted feast.

I am learning so much about Mulberries and a all the Nutrients they have and just to think I have a very big tree in my front yard.   Here is some of what I have leaned about the benefits of Mulberries:

• They Prevent Macular degeneration and cataracts
• They are rich in antioxidants properties
• They aid in  Cancer prevention
• They improved digestive health
• They boost heart health and body metabolism.
• They reduce appearances of blemishes and age spots.

What I didn't know is that they are high in iron and vitamin C as well as many other nutrients.  They will also aid in lowering blood sugar but be careful it can be harmful if you don't have a blood sugar problem.  Mulberries aid in the production of red blood cells and in vision health,

This is the way the Mulberries look when you have washed them and are now mashing what you can before putting in the sugar to begin the cooking process.  For every cup of berries you have you have to put in i cup of sugar. If you are not using pectin then you must cook the berries longer in order for them to thicken.


When cooking process is complete then jar the jam up I used 4oz. jars for this small batch.

WHATS COOKING FOR LADIES (MOTHER'S) DAY!

Well I don't know what you are cooking for your Ladies Day celebration but my daughter Erika and I decided yesterday to cook what we have not had in a long while.

Yeah Roasted Chicken Butterflied.  This will be the first time I baked anything in my new Samsung oven and I an so excited.  Next on our Menu is Ranch Mashed Potatoes:

Now if you really want to taste something that will melt in your mouth then just plant your lips on these creamy, buttery, ranch mashed potatoes.  I am getting hungry just writing about dinner.  My family usually eats about 2pm on Sundays.

Next on our Menu are Glazed Carrots its been so long I cannot tell you the last time we have had glazed carrots.  Carrots are something we all like but do not think about as a side dish although they make great side dishes. The carrots right now are so sweet naturally and by me adding a glace makes then extra delicious.

Well whatever your family eats on this special day I want you to enjoy with friends and family and remember the ones that are not with us an more and if you don't have one then start a tradition so that the young people in your family have tons of wonderful Mothers Day Memories!

SUMMER SALADS/Pasta Salad

Yes! Let us not forget the Pasta Salad great for the Hot Summer afternoon.  There is just so many things you can do with a Pasta Salad.  Choose the Pasta that are not the usual shapes and go out on a limb and pick a pasta like Star Pasta, Shell Pasta, Tri-color Pasta. After choosing the pasta go in for the grape tomatoes the ones that are different colors they look good in this salad.  

The Mediterranean  Pasta Salad has proven to be a winner also.  This Greek salad is full of tomatoes, feta cheese meat chick peas olives red onions


The Mediterranean Salad below is filled with all types of wonderful vegetables like cucumbers black olives Bow Tie Pasta cherry tomatoes onions and even chicken.   So have fun be creative and look for fruit that is in season and add that to your Summer Salad!

SUMMER SALAD/TUNA FISH SALAD

The Classic Tuna Fish Salad on a hot Summer day is very refreshing and can be made many different ways.  Some people like to make tuna salad with boiled eggs. I just enjoy my Tuna Salad made with red onions,celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice salt and pepper.

A Mediterranean Tuna Fish Salad is always tasty too. Feel free to add your olives, your feta cheese your avocado.  You will be amazed at how light and satisfying Tuna salad can be.

Or you can have your Tuna Salad on a bed of curly lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers.  With this salad you don't need any mayo. You can just sprinkle some olive oil on chop some red onions sprinkle some chopped basil salt and pepper.  You can add cherry tomatoes or just cut some tomato rounds however you decide to do it I guarantee you will enjoy each bite of this Summer Tuna Fish Salad!