Good Food!

My wonderful sister got me a subscription to Good Housekeeping last Christmas. I LOVE IT! I enjoy opening my mailbox to get each new issue, it's like she sends me a gift every month! I have never had a magazine gift subscription before, and I sure do like this one!

I was particularly excited about this month's isses, because the front cover hails "ALL NEW! SLOW COOKER SUPPERS 8 recipes=16 different meals" Now, if you know anything about me, it is that I love to cook and I adore my slow cooker. In fact, I have two slowcookers, one is round and one is oval, both are 6 quarts. I love throwing food in the pot, turning it on, and walking to the other side of the kitchen to throw stuff into the breadmaker, setting it's timer, and leaving my house only to return a few hours later with dinner DONE and the house smelling wonderful! (It is also important to note that since we live in the deep south, both of these appliances can be put on my screened in back porch and used there to further reduce the heat in the kitchen)

I dove into the magazine, and found the promised article. What genius! How awesome is this! The basic principle is you make a big batch of stuff in the slowcooker, then when it's done you scoop some out and save it for another night. Then they give you the recipe to use the scooped out leftover portion to make a different meal! How cool is that???? My family is not big on leftovers, so this was a real plus for me!

I've made one of  the recipes once, and another one twice. Both are keepers. The first time, I made them both basically exactly as the recipe reads. I decided to share the one I made twice with you today, because it is gray and cloudy here, and it just seemed appropriate. I will list the recipe as it is in the magazine, then note the changes I made.
Chicken Soup
1 Tbsp, Vegetable oil
1 jumbo sweet onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper
1 1/2 lbs. fennel (2 large)--I left this out, as we are not fan of fennel
1 lb. carrots
12 oz. Yukon Gold potatoes (2 large)--I used russett
8 oz. celery stalks (4 large)
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 lbs. bone in chicken thighs, skin removed
1 1/2 lbs. bone in chicken breasts, skin removed
1 qt. lower sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp. Packed fresh dill leaves--I left this out, not big dill fans here either

1. In 12 inch skillet, heat oil on medium low. Add onion and 1/8 teas salt. Cook 15 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occassionally.
2. While onion cooks, trim and cut fennel into 1/4 inch slices. Cut carrots in quarters lengthwise, then into 3 inch long pieces. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch half moons. Thinly slice celery.
3. In 6 qt. slow cooker bowl, evenly spread the vegetables and toss in the bay leaf. Arrange chicken pieces on top, pressing down into the vegetables. Sprinkle with 1/2 teas each salt adn pepper. Spread the hot onion over the chicken. Add broth, cover, and cook on low 6 hours.
4. Stir in dill. Transfer one-third of the vegetables, 1 chicken breast and one chicken thigh to a container and refrigerate up to 3 days. Divide remaining vegetables among serving bowls. Remove meat from remaining chicken and divide among serving bowls. Stir 1/4 teas salt into broth. Ladle over the chicken vegetable mixture and serve.

Chicken Pot Pie
Preheat oven to 425. Transfer 1/2 cup potatoes from the reserved mixture to a large bowl. With potato masher, mash until crushed. Stir in 1/3 cup heavy cream and mash until well combined. Remove the meat from the reserved chicken, shred into large chunks, and add to the potato mixture. Add reserved vegetables, 1 cup frozen peas (thawed), 1/2 teas freshly grated lemon peel, 1/4 teas salt and 1/4 teas pepper. Mix well. Spread mixture into a 91/2 inch deep-dish pie plate. Center 1 refrigerated pie crust on top. Fold dough overhang to make edge flush with rim of pie plate and gently press against pie plate. Cut 5 slits on top. Bake 25 minutes, then cover rim with foil. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown.

For the pot pie, I didn't think it looked soupy enough so I stirred in one can of cream of chicken soup and used peas and carrots instead of just peas (we are carrot people). I also left out the lemon peel, because that just seemed strange to me.

Both recipes were delicious!!!! I made them with the above directions the first time, then altered it a bit the second time. Here's how:
For the soup, I cooked at as directed. When the soup was done, I strained off the juice and used it to cook a 16 oz package of peas and carrots and a half bag of egg noodles. (next time I will throw the peas and carrots in about half way through cooking time if I am home) We liked the addition of the veggies and noodles to the soup. When I made the pot pie the second time, I again used a can of cream of chicken soup, and I made my crust with biscuit mix. My family liked the pie crust version better, and mentioned that crescent rolls would be THE BOMB! We also found that both recipes needed a bit more salt for our tastes, especially with the addition of more veggies and noodles.

Although the recipe is meant for two weeknight dinners, I made mine for Sunday lunch and used the second recipe for Sunday evening dinner. We are at church from 7:45am until after 1:00 every Sunday, so having something ready in the crockpot and bread machine makes Sunday lunch a breeze!

Try this out,and see how you like it!
I tried to put a link to the recipe on the magazine's website, but I couldn't find it listed. This is from Hearst Magazine's Good Housekeeping October 2011 issue, and the article was entitled "Superfast Slowcooker Suppers." I did not find an author listed.  I do not take any credit for the original recipe, it was all from those great folks over at Good Housekeeping!!!!

Dinner time!

We are a living paycheck to paycheck family. Sometimes, it seems that payday will NEVER come! I have a pretty good system of stocking the pantry and freezer, and we are always blessed to be able to share what we have with others. Because of my smart (read:obsessive) shopping and stocking up on sale items, for the months of November and December I purchased only fresh fruits, milk, bread, and the required "holiday food" items like turkey, dressing mix, cranberry sauce, baking needs, etc. This allowed us to stay on budget and still have everything we need.

January came, and because of all the holiday extras, money was extra tight. We have been eeking through, using what we have on hand, and I am planning a BIG stock up shopping trip this week. (Watch for the post on that adventure)

My coupon supply has dwindled, and I am eagerly combing through my stash, making my list and checking it twice for good sales and coupon pairings.


Tonight's dinner is pork chops from the freezer, macaroni and cheese (from the freezer, actually leftovers from a previous meal but it heats up well when you add some extra milk), canned green beans, and baked red potatoes and carrots, which are nestled in the oven with the pork chops.

 Here is my delima. My husband is a bread eater. We must have bread at every meal. I forgot to start the bread machine this afternoon, so we are officially dinner bread-less. What to do, oh what to do? Let me point out I am a HORRIBLE biscuit maker, and somehow cornbread doesn't really go with this meal in my opinion, so I decided to make popovers.

I first made popovers when we lived in Hawaii. Being 18 years old, working for minimum wage, married to an E-2 in the Navy, money was t-i-g-h-t. I found this recipe one night, a few days before payday, and since it did not call for everything I was out of (biscuit mix, shortening, baking powder, cornmeal, etc.) I decided to try it.

DELICIOUS!!!!!!

This easy recipe is my go to quick fix for breadless nights, (oh, the horror) and I decided to share the recipe with you!

Popovers
1 cup flour
1/2 teas salt ( I fixed the typo)
1 cup milk
2 eggs

Mix all ingredients very well. Pour into generously greased muffin cups, filling 2/3 full. Bake at 425 about 30-40 minutes or until golden, toasty brown.

This always thrills kids when they bite into what they think is a traditional roll, and find it hollow and full of air!
If you are not serving these the minute they come out of the oven, you will need to cut a slit in the top of each popover to keep it from collapsing in on itself. (NOT attractive)

 

Popovers make for a happy hubby, which makes for a happy dinnertime at our house!

Schwan's House Party

Check this out!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I cannot tell you all how excited I am about this! My box of goodies came yesterday, full of great coupons and recipe cards and insulated lunch bags for each guest. If you would be interested in attending my Schwan's House party and sampling great Schwan's products for FREE, just leave a comment and I will get you all the details!

It's Party Time!

A few weeks ago, I got an email inviting me to enter for a chance to host a Schwan's House Party. You know all about Schwan's, right? The big yellow trucks that deliver tasty treats like pizza and ice cream right to your door? Oh yeah baby....gotta love delicious eats that you don't even have to leave home to get!

Well, after I read the info, I decided to enter. Did not figure I had a snowball's chance in Hawaii of being chosen from the tens of thousands of entries in this nationwide contest, but guess what???? I DID GET SELECTED!

This week I ordered my party pack, which contains over $100 worth of food to share with my friends so that they can sample Schwan's wonderful products for themselves. In about 3 weeks my home will be party central, with folks chowing down on things like Italian meatballs, Three Cheese Pizza, Chicken Cheese Quesadillas, Mini Corndogs, Fried Green Beans, Baked Chicken Nuggets, Guacamole, Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies and Mini Ice Cream Treats. Each guest gets an insulated lunch tote and coupons for Schwan's products.

I'm excited!!!!!! I had not heard of  HouseParty until now. Check them out HERE and sign up for a chance to be chosen to host a party of your own to showcase delicious foods and new products from cool companies like Gerber, Ball, Hasbro Games and many more,.

Earth Mom

This year Earth Day has prompted me to think a lot about our Earth. My best friend and I had a conversation a while back about recycling. She said she doesn't recycle because she does not believe that it will be long before we are with Jesus in the Rapture and the Earth won't be out home anymore. I agree that the return of Jesus is probably a lot closer than we realize, but I also believe that when God created Adam and gave him dominion over everything in the garden of Eden, he also charged him with the responsibility of taking care of the Earth and all of His creation.

I wish that I were better about living green, but I am trying. Here are some ways I do my part to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

• I use reusable grocery totes. I bought several large totes at Save A Lot and I use them everywhere. At first I felt bad about using them at Publix or Kroger but once the baggers commented on how much they like the larger bags I felt better. They hold the equivalent of about 4 plastic bags and are much easier to carry. 
• We recycle. Our city does not offer curbside recycling so we take our recyleables to the city recycling center which is less than a mile from our house. My husband and daughter load them into the back of our truck about every 2 weeks and take them to the center. We recycle aluminum cans, office paper, tin cans, glass, plastic, cardboard, magazines and newspapers.
• We reuse things. We recently planted our garden seedlings in empty yogurt cups and applesauce containers. 
• We shop at thrift stores. We find great deals on clothes and household items there and save money as well as reusing perfectly good items that someone else had no use for anymore.
• We use Freecycle. We have gifted and received some really good stuff! This is a great way to keep stuff out of landfills!
• I purchase a stainless steel water bottle for my daughter's lunch to limit the use of bottled water. 
• I keep a clean dish towel hanging on my oven handle to use for drying my hands instead of using paper towels. 
• I only wash full loads in my washing machine and dishwasher.
• I dry my clothes on a short cycle, then check them. I am usually surprised to find out that the items dry in much less time than I thought. This saves money and energy over automatically setting my dryer timer for 60 minutes.
• We use ceiling fans in every room. I read a study recently that shows that using a ceiling fan can lower the temperature in a room by as much as 6 degrees. In the hot humid summers of south Georgia, this really helps!

There are ways that I would like to improve in my Green (or sometimes not so green) life:

• I would like to purchase new energy efficient appliances and low flow faucets and toilets. (I do have a large jar of water in my toilet tank to save water.) Unfortunately this is not a financial possibility right now.
• I would like to be able to use public transportation but it is not offered in our city.
• My biggest dream would be to have solar panels on my home to generate clean energy
• I would like to eliminate paper napkins and paper towels completely in favor of cloth versions but I am too lazy.
• I still take long hot showers. I enjoy them and find them relaxing. I really do not want to give up this simple luxury.
• I would like to make a compost bin and make organic compost for our little veggie garden and my yard plants. I would like one of those kitchen counter compost pails as well. I found direction to make my own from a large plastic coffee can and a charcoal filter, but have not tried it yet. Just can't justify one of those spiffy $50 stainless steel numbers.

So what do you do to keep our planet clean? What are your thoughts on reducing waste, reusing things or recycling?
Happy Earth Day!!!!!
(image from Google image search)

Schwan's update!

Today I received my FREE gallon of chocolate ice cream from my friendly Schwan's delivery guy. He will be back in two weeks, and Marissa is quickly making a list of what she wants me to order next time.

Even though the computer showed I owed 5 cents (LOL!), the delivery guy wiggled it around and I didn't owe ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't wait for dessert tonight!

I am making bruschetta and trying a recipe I found over on the blog "Cooking During Stolen Moments". I will let you know how it all turns out and post recipes, photos and link tomorrow!

In the mean time, if you missed my post about the FREE FOOD at Schwans, go to this link and check it out. I am not sure if the promotion is over or not, but try it and see for yourself and get some FREE FOOD!

FREE FOOD!

As a special promotion, the Schwan's frozen food company is offering $10 in free food to the first 500,000 people who shop on their website. There are a couple of restrictions, such as they have to deliver to your area already and you can't have ordered in something like 14 week, and you pay the taxes. I just placed my order for a gallon of their rich chocolate ice cream, delivered to my door in a few days, and it is costing me 5 cents!!!!!

So what are you waiting for? It's free food people! GO SHOP NOW!!!!!!!!!!
Click this link and enjoy!