Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Zesty Grilled Veggies

Recipe from here.

Ingredients:

4 zucchini (1-1/2 lb.), cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 each red and yellow peppers (1-3/4 lb.), cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Place veggies in grill basket.
Grill 10 min. or until crisp-tender, turning occasionally. Please in large bowl.
Add dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Classic Macaroni Salad

Photo&Recipe from here.

Yummy macaroni salad recipe....but next time I'll use less sugar and more mayo.

Yield: Serves 8-10

Ingredients

    1 pound whole-wheat elbow macaroni, boiled until tender in heavily salted water, drained, rinsed in cold water, and drained again
    1 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrots (about 2 large)
    1 cup diced celery (about 2 stalks) (I omitted)
    1 fat scallion, sliced in half lengthwise and slivered (I omitted)
    1 cup Hellman's or Best Foods mayonnaise
    1/4 cup white vinegar
    1/2 cup sugar
    1 tablespoon hotdog relish
    1 tablespoon yellow mustard
    3 teaspoons kosher salt (or half as much table salt)
    Freshly ground black pepper
    2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Directions

  1. Combine the pasta and vegetables in a large bowl.
  2. Whisk together the mayo, vinegar, sugar, relish, mustard, salt, and pepper, pour this over the salad, add the parsley, and stir together gently. Let sit in the fridge, covered, for an hour or two.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Fresh Salsa...with Spicy Soft Turkey Tacos


Salsa recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:

2 cups combination of chopped tomatoes and mango (you can also substitute fresh peaches, nectarines...etc)

1/3 cup chopped yellow or white onion

handful of frozen corn

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 to 2 jalapeƱo or serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a bowl, toss well and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

Heaven!!!!

Recipe from Cooking Like A Champion

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain reduced-fat yogurt or sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 small green onion
1 clove minced garlic
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup buttermilk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 slices thick cut bacon, cooked crisp

Directions:
Cover potatoes with 1-2 inches of cold water and add the tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, chives, parsley, green onion, garlic, lemon juice and buttermilk in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste, then refrigerate until ready to use.

Drain potatoes and transfer to a serving bowl. Allow to cool slightly, then stir in half of the ranch dressing. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Toss with remaining ranch dressing and top with bacon and additional chives or green onion if desired. Serve cold.







Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Food Shopping On The Cheap!

Stop & Shop Trip!

Total Cost: FREE!!!

(Side note: My calculations figured this trip would have costed me about $4...but it rang up $7.83. I looked at the receipt before leaving and noticed they didn't take off the BOGO bread. Customer service refunded me not only for my BOGO but also for the other loaf as well for their mistake! I actually made money off this trip! Guess it pays to check your receipt and know how much everything is suppose to be with the sale! Woohoo!)

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Corn and Two-Bean Burgers with Chipotle Ketchup

Recipe from here.

These were really good....except next time I think I'll skip the Chipotle Ketchup and just use my Heinz Chili Sauce...which is the best burger topping EVER.

  • YIELD: 4 servings (serving size: 1 burger)
  • COURSE: Main Dishes, Sandwiches
Ingredients
  • Burger:
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup canned whole-kernel yellow corn, drained
  • 1/4 cup prechopped onion
  • 1 large egg
  • Ketchup:
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

  • Remaining ingredients:
  • 4 (2-ounce) Kaiser rolls or hamburger buns
  • 4 lettuce leaves (optional)
  • 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices tomato (optional)

Preparation
  • To prepare burgers, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Combine kidney beans and black beans in a large bowl; partially mash with a fork. Add breadcrumbs, corn, onion, and egg; stir until well blended. Form bean mixture into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) patties. Add patties to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until crisp and beginning to brown.
  • To prepare ketchup, combine ketchup, honey, lime juice, chile powder, and cumin, stirring with a whisk.
  • Spread 1 tablespoon ketchup on bottom half of each bun; top each serving with a patty, 1 lettuce leaf and 1 tomato slice (if desired), and top half of bun.

Sorry for my crappy photo :)

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Blueberry Boy Bait






Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

I found this recipe online today and wanted to make it immediately. It's so light, fluffy, and delicious!

Serves 12, generously

2 cups plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (if frozen, do not defrost first as it tends to muddle in the batter)

Topping
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (do not defrost)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease generously and flour 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

Whisk two cups flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until fluffy, about two minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down bowl. Reduce speed to medium and beat in one-third of flour mixture until incorporated; beat in half of milk. Beat in half of remaining flour mixture, then remaining milk, and finally remaining flour mixture. Toss blueberries with remaining one teaspoon flour. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in blueberries. Spread batter into prepared pan.

For the topping:
Scatter blueberries over top of batter. Stir sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl and sprinkle over batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool in pan 20 minutes, then turn out and place on serving platter (topping side up). Serve warm or at room temperature. (Cake can be stored in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)

Food Shopping On The Cheap!

I just shopped for Memorial Day wknd items and everyday items....my cart was overflowing! I literally spent 2 nights working on getting my list & coupons together because it was so much stuff...and it paid off! This crappy photo doesn't even do it justice. :)
Shoprite Trip!
Total Cost: $65.25
Savings of: $66.76 with coupons & sales!!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Food Shopping On The Cheap!


Shoprite Trip!
Total Cost: $45.22
Savings of: $52.22 with coupons & sales!!



Whole Foods Trip!
Total Cost: $14.68
Savings of: $8.00 in coupons!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Food Shopping On The Cheap!

Total Cost: $18.83!!!
Savings of: $36.60!