Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Budget Stretching:Potato Salad Bites

INGREDIENTS
12 small red potatoes (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter)
1 teaspoon salt
1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons dill pickle relish
2 tablespoons mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 medium green onions, thinly sliced (2 tablespoons)
3 radishes, thinly sliced (1/4 cup), if desired

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat over to 400°F. Place potatoes in ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until tender. Cool 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle.
2. Cut potatoes in half. With melon baller, scoop out insides of potatoes into medium bowl, leaving 1/4-inch lining of potato flesh around edges of shells. Sprinkle shells with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. To potato flesh in bowl, add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining ingredients except onions and radishes; mix well, breaking up potatoes.
3. Cut very thin slice off bottom of each potato shell so potatoes will stand upright. Fill each potato shell with about 1 tablespoon filling mixture. Top with onions. Cover; refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Garnish with radish slices.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010





Sunday, February 7, 2010

Homemade Hamburger Helper Mix

* 1 1/4 tsp. black pepper
* 1 Tbs. garlic powder
* 3 Tbs. onion powder
* 2 Tbs. dried parsley
* 1/3 cup instant onion
* 1 Tbs. salt
* 1 2/3 cup dry milk
* 3 1/2 Tbs. beef bouillon

Mix and store in a glass jar or a sealed container.

Use 1/2 cup for each pound of ground meat.
* 1 pound ground beef
* 1/2 cup of mix (above)
* 1 to 2 cups noodles (elbow macaroni for example)
* 1 1/2 to 3 cups water
* flavorings

Homemade Hamburger Helper

Brown and drain the ground beef. Stir in the dry mix, then add 2 cups hot water and 2 cups noodles. You can add more or less water and noodles, proportionately, depending on much you need to stretch that pound of beef. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, cover, and cook until noodles are tender, about 20 minutes.

Variations:Chili: Add one 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 Tbs chili powder.
Cheeseburger skillet: add 1 cup dehydrated cheese with the dry mix. Or cook as above, then stir in 2 cups grated Cheddar or Colby cheese before serving.

Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe Stretching the Budget


Homemade Pizza Dough Recipe Stretching the Budget


2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp. yeast
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. oil
5-6 cups flour

Combine water and yeast in a large bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar, salt, and oil. Add half the flour and mix. Add remaining flour and knead until smooth. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and put in a warm spot to rise for about half an hour. (On cold days, briefly warm your oven, then turn it off, and put the bowl in there. Leave the light bulb on to provide a bit of warmth.)

Punch the dough down and split into 2-3 pieces, depending on how big you want your pizza and how thick you like your crusts. Press onto a greased cookie sheet or pizza pan until the dough is about 1/4" thick (for thin crusts).

Spread your favorite sauce, sprinkle on grated mozzarella, add toppings, and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Budget Stretching Meals:7 Reasons Why Meal Planning Is A Great Idea

Click Here to Step up your cooking skills to the next level

7 Reasons Why Meal Planning Is A Great Idea


by C. Steendahl
Planning meals ahead of time is a great idea, since there are many benefits that come along with it. Meal planning affects many different aspects of life, including your time as well as your financial situation. No matter what situation one may be in, planning your meals ahead of time is always a good idea. Meal planning makes it possible for almost any size family to eat healthy meals everyday of the week on a budget.

Saves Time
Planning your meals ahead of time will save you a great amount of time. When you visit your grocery store, you will have a list handy with everything you need. There will be no return visits to the grocery store for something you forgot, and you wont waste any time deciding what you are going to have for dinner that night. Forgetting a key ingredient or having to fight in long lines at the grocery store can be very frustrating, but meal planning can completely eliminate that.

Saves Money
Meal planning can save almost anyone a great amount of money, since meal planning is much cheaper than eating fast food. Also, since you will be bringing a shopping list with you to the store, there will be no more impulse buys and wasted food.

Health
Planning out what you are going to cook for dinner will make it possible to cook a healthy meal every day of the week. Eating fast food or at restaurants is not nearly as healthy as cooking it at home, since you don’t get to choose what goes in those meals. You can choose healthy meals, like baked chicken, and add any of your favorites for a side. Most boxed or frozen dinners contain a great amount of fat and sodium, but cooking the meal from scratch can eliminate them.

Prevent Obesity
With the rise of fast food chains in the world, more and more are becoming overweight and obese. Obesity can bring on many other health issues, including heart or breathing problems. It is important to prevent a child from becoming overweight, and cooking homemade healthy meals can do this. When you plan out what you are going to make, you can be certain that it will be healthy for the entire family.

Spending More Time With Your Family
Because planning out your meals gives you more time during the day, you can spend it doing something that really matters. Spending time with family should be the first thing on anyone’s priority list, and being able to spend more time with them is wonderful. You can use this time to either play with your children outside, or maybe talk with your spouse about their day at work. No matter how you use the time, it is special and necessary to keep a family running.

Teaching Essential Skills
By including children in the meal planning process, they can learn many skills for when they get older. They can help to plan the meals, and learn about the different nutrition groups. Measuring also works great, since children can learn fractions. The younger ones can even just play with the different kitchen utensils, which allows them to explore and learn about the huge world they have yet to explore. Spouses can also get in on the fun, making it possible to bond with one another by cooking a meal for each other.

Reduces Stress
Because we live in a fast paced world, it is important to do anything possible to reduce your stress load. Planning meals can do this for you, since you wont have to worry about everything that goes into making a meal for your family. As long as you bring your list to the store and buy everything on the list, you will be all set. You can choose to either visit the store each week or twice a month, rather than a million times like before. The increased time you have will allow you to relax more often, and even feel great when interacting with your children.


About the Author

Are you ready to give meal planning a try? Then grab your free menu planning report at http://www.menuplanningcentral.com  Watch for a great meal planning offer and let me – The Menu Mom – help you take care of dinner tonight!


Article Source: Content for Reprint

C. Steendahl Click Here to Step up your cooking skills to the next level