Tin Foil Dinners

I lived for girl scout camp days because of this dish. Nothing tastes better than a tin foil dinner while you are camping. My tastes have changed some since I was a girl scout and the fact that my husband hates camping means I can't eat one of my favorite foods from my childhood. Over the years I've adapted the campfire version to one that can be made in the oven. The dish does not have the flavors the camp fire gives it but its a nice sub when you can't have the real thing. I know lots of people make a gravy for the meat and veggies but I prefer it without a gravy. It would not be hard to make a gravy for the dish if you like gravy. This is also one of those dishes that can vary based on your likes and dislikes. I like to keep it to two to three vegetables but my husband likes more. The recipe is for one tin foil dinner which will serve one, adjust the quantity if you are feeding more.

1/4 lb ground beef, pressed into a thin patty
1 carrot chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 potato sliced thinly
1/2 onion sliced thinly
garlic salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Tear a piece of foil big enough to fit your ingredients and to fold over the top.
Place beef on foil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I then lay the onions on top of the meat and pile the carrots and potatoes on the sides with a few on top of the onions and meat. Again sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring the foil up to the top of the mixture and fold.
Cook in oven for 30. Check to see if meat and veggies are cooked to your liking. I like to cook my meat longer than most and I like my potatoes with a little crunch. It usually take about 40-45 minutes for the dinner to come out to my liking. In the picture I posted the food cooked for about 35 minutes.

“When Life Gives You Lemons, make Lemonade” Award!

Thanks to Glenda at The Little Red Hen Food Site I've received my first award! Thanks Glenda!
Here is how it works: 1) You must link back to the person you received the award from. 2) You have to nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award. I am giving this award to these bloggers:
Tammy at Simple, Healthy and Tasty
Rachael at Cooking For My Family
Laura at Laura's Recipe Blog
Kim at 1460
Holly at 2 Kids and Tired Cooks
Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations
Megan at The Rogers Family
More Jingle in My Jeans

I'm two short but I'll add them later.

Homemade Noodles

My husband bought me a pasta maker for Christmas. I decided I wanted my own maker because the cost of my favorite noodles have been going up in cost. I don't know how I ever was able to eat the store bought noodles because the homemade ones taste so much better. And for an added bonus its not very pricey or hard to make your own noodles. I paid 35 cents for the big batch of noodles I made for this dish. I've also been successful at replacing 1/3 of the white flour with whole wheat flour.

I am going to post a basic recipe that you can use for all types of noodles. For noodles like the one in my picture you can make the noodles without needing a pasta machine. Basically you roll out the dough to the thickness you desired and then roll up. Then cut to the thickness you desire.

4 eggs
3 cups of flour
water if needed
Put the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Break the 4 eggs into the well and blend slowly with a fork. Combine the eggs and flour until well blended. If the mixture is too wet, gradually mix in a small amount of flour. If the dough is too dry, gradually work in a little water.

Spread a little flour very lightly on your tabletop. Place dough mixture on tabletop and knead firmly until it is of a consistent color and texture. Form dough into a mound shape and cover with a damp towel. Let the dough rest for at least 10-15 minutes. This allows the ingredients to further blend together.


To cook:
Always use plenty of boiling water so that the pasta can move around. One half pound of noodles will require at least two quarts of water. One pound will need six. Figure one teaspoon of salt for each quart of water. Always let the water come to a full, rolling boil before adding the pasta, or it will not cook up al dente.
The length of time required to cook the pasta will depend on the size, weight, and particular ingredients for the noodles. Homemade noodles take very little time to cook and should be tested after 3-4 minutes. It is better for the pasta to be cooked slightly under than over. Once cooked, drain the pasta, but never rinse it. For the best pasta dish, drain, add sauce and serve it quickly.

Boneless Buffalo Chicken

These were really really good. I normally don't like hot and spicy foods like this but it was quite tasty. I kept dipping the chicken into the blue cheese dip I made and it helped calm the heat. Don loved the chicken and can not wait for me to make them again. I did not even try to feed these to the kids. I found the recipe in the Feb/March 2009 issue of Cook's Country. These would be a great dish to serve on Superbowl Sunday.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, (about 1 1/2 lbs), cut into 1 1/2 each chunks
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup hot sauce, preferably Franks, avoid the hotter ones like Tabasco
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 large egg whites
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups vegetable oil

Marinate: Combine chicken, buttermilk, and salt in large zipper-lock bag and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Combine hot sauce, water, sugar, butter, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch in saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until thickened, about minutes.

Coat: Whisk egg whites in shallow bowl until foamy. Stir flour, baking soda, remaining cornstarch, and 6 tablespoons hot sauce mixture in second shallow dish until mixture resembles coarse meal. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Toss half of chicken with egg whites until well coated, then dredge chicken in cornstarch mixture, pressing to adhere. Transfer coated chicken to plate and repeat with remaining chicken.

Fry: Heat oil in dutch oven over medium high heat until oil registers 350 degrees. Fry half of chicken until golden brown, about 4 minutes, turning each piece halfway through cooking. Transfer chicken to paper towel lined plate. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken.

Toss: Warm remaining hot sauce mixture over medium low heat until simmering. Combine chicken and hot sauce mixture in a large bowl and toss to coat. Serve.

January Food Co-op

Today was the pick up for the Crossroads Urban Center Community Food Co-op. I order from here once a month. They take orders in the first of the month and then pick up is near the end of the month. They offer fresh produce and meats with a few additional things you can purchase. You don't know what produce your getting when you place your order but they do let you know early in the pick up week. I find them to a a great place to get good healthy non-processed foods from at a cheap price.
link to food co-op
Here is what I picked up today and I'll post my cost at the bottom:
2 lbs Top Sirloin Fajita Strips
4 lbs Chicken Drumsticks
4 lbs Sirloin Pork Roast
2 lbs Lean Ground Beef
2 lbs rice
2 loaves Artisan Wheat Bread
11 Fuji Apples
11 Pears
10 Oranges
2 Romain Lettuce
7 Red Bell Peppers
10 Tomatoes
5 Avocados
2 2lb. Bag of Carrots
1 head of cauliflower
2 Chapparro's brand 5 beef tamales
Tagge's brand mild salsa 16 oz
Aptera's brand extra virgin olive oil 34 fl oz

Total Cost: $67.50

Chicken Fried Rice

This turned out to be a fairly decent recipe. The kids ate it up and the adults liked it. I used frozen peas and carrots along with some freshly chopped carrots. I added some garlic powder to the dish. I used 2 garlic cloves even with the use of the garlic powder. Things I will do the next time I make this recipe is make the rice the day before. I knew when reading the recipe I should make the rice before hand yet I forgot. Trust me it will turn out better. My rice was mushy and stuck together. I'd also have some chopped scallions or green onions to serve with the rice. I think I'd also add some soy sauce to the rice dish. This recipe was on Good Things Utah a few months back and that is where I found the recipe.
link to recipe

1 to 2 Chicken breasts or 10 Chicken Tenders (cut into small pieces)
3 Scrambled eggs
2 Carrots (finely grated)
1/2 White onion (finely chopped)
3/4 cup Frozen peas
1/2 cup Butter
1 to 2 Garlic cloves (Crushed) or 1 teaspoon of garlic Powder
2 cups White rice (not instant)

Marinate chicken in soy sauce, if you do not have much time, mix it with chicken before cooking
In a large frying pan Cook chicken in small amount of olive oil, add carrots and onions and sauté until clear
Add frozen peas and cook until soft.
In a separate pan cook rice then add to the mixture
In another pan, scramble three eggs, chop finely and add to mixture
Melt 1/2 cup butter, add crushed garlic cloves to butter, stir and add to mixture
Mix all together well, add soy sauce to taste and Enjoy.

Chocolate Haystacks

Simple and quick dessert dish that really tastes good. I love making this treat. Growing up my mom would make these during the Christmas holidays and I always looked forward to them. Now that I am an adult I make them whenever I get the craving for them.

1 package butterscotch chips
1 package chocolate chips
Melt together.
Add 1 tablespoon butter and melt.
Mix in chow mein noodles until they are coated.
Spread on wax paper and allow to dry.

Marlboro Man’s Favorite Sandwich

Oh my goodness this was a really yummy sandwich. It was quite fattening I am sure but oh so worth the fat. I can't even begin to tell you how tasty this sandwich was. Everyone. kids included, loved this sandwich. It was a quick and easy to make dinner. I'm still thinking about how good the sandwich tasted. I added some mushrooms and garlic to the onions and swiss cheese to the roll. One thing we did not like was it did not taste very good reheated. I found the recipe on the Pioneer Woman's website and she goes into great detail on how to make the sandwich. I love her blog and she has many great recipes on her blog.
Pioneer Woman's recipe

2 to 3 pounds cube steak (tenderized round steak that’s been extra-tenderized
1 large onion OR 2 small/medium onions
4 French/Deli rolls
Butter, man
Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco

-Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.
-Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s.
-Heat 2 TBSP butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown.
-Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.
-Add 1/2 (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 TBSP butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.
-Butter halved French rolls and brown on skillet.
-To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonfull of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!

Delightful Banana Cake

Everyone really liked the cake. My favorite part was the drizzle on the cake but even the actual cke had some really good flavor. I left the nuts out of the cake as I don't like nuts in cakes and such. This recipe was a little more work then I prefer but I'd say it was worth the extra work. According to the nutrition facts with this recipe it has only 10 grams of fat, 5 of which are saturated. I found the recipe in Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking November 2008 issue.

2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon butter, softened, divided
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
1 cup mashed ripe banana (2 to 3 medium)
1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or chopped pecans

Drizzle:
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons fat free milk

Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, beat 1/4 cup butter and 1 cup sugar until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Add egg yolks; mix well. In a small mixing bowl, beat the bananas, sour cream, applesauce, and vanilla until blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; add to the butter mixture alternately with banana mixture. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and remaining butter; stir until smooth. Cool slightly; stir in water.

Beat egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Fold into batter. Fold in walnuts.

Coat a 10 in fluted tube pan with cooking spray and sprinkle with flour; add a third of the cake batter. Drizzle with half of the chocolate mixture. Repeat layers; top with remaining batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For drizzle, in a small heavy saucepan, melt butter until lightly browned. Remove from the heat; stir in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over cake.

Menu Plan for 1/17-1/24

Meal #1
Zesty horseradish meatloaf
green beans with bacon
pumpkin cake roll

Meal #2
black bean veggie enchiladas

Meal #3
hearty penne beef
asian broccoli salad

Meal #4
Marlboro sandwich
seasoned baked potatoes

Meal #5
Rustic Italian tortellini soup
potato sour cream biscuits

Meal #6
Texas toast steak sandwich

Meal #7
oregano roasting chicken
flavorful mashed potatoes

This week's shopping trip

Day old bread store $8.69

Kent's
14 cans cat food $8.26 59 cents each
cat treats $1.67
frozen burritos $2.99
frozen chimichangas $2.99
frozen green beans $1.50
buttermilk 99 cents
deli sandwich$1.99
broccoli 1.42 lbs $1.83, $1.29 lb
red onions 1.89 lbs $1.49, 79 cents lb
potatoes 2.82 lbs $1.38, 49 cents lb
10 cube steaks $13.84
deli pizza $2.99
deli sandwich $3.29
tortillas 99 cents
Grand total: $48.10


Albertson's
8 boxes oatmeal $16, $2 each
cat food $3.99
bacon $15.96
Grand total: $22.67
Total is less than amount listed because I had coupons for the items.

Reams
cilantro 34 cents
2 packages spinach $4.18
french fries $1.25
penne pasta 88 cents
cat food $1.55
pureed tomatoes 71 cents
chili sauce $1.39
mushrooms $1.99
strawberries $1.50
ketchup $1.29
green bell pepper 69 cents
shallots .22 lbs 66 cents, $2.99 lb
seasonings 69 cents
apples 2.40 lbs $2.11, 88 cents lb
Grand total:$19.76

Total for next week's shopping is:
$99.22, WOOHOO I came in under budget!

I have a few more beer rebates that will help lower this even more.