Lunch Meat for Less

Are you a fan of the lunch meat sandwich? I do enjoy a nice meaty sandwich every now and again. However, I'm not a big fan of some aspects of deli lunch meat. I really don't care for not knowing what parts of the meat went into the chopped and pressed deli meats. The preservatives and additives are some of those questionable issues with cured meats of any kind. And then there's the price of deli-style lunch meat. Fortunately, there are a few alternatives which side step all of the above.

The traditional meatloaf sandwich is one of the least expensive of the meat sandwiches -- it never disappoints.

Leftover roasted turkey, chicken, pork and ham make mighty tasty sandwiches, and are a fraction of the price of deli meat.

And then there's one of my favorites, for its leanness, price, lack of extra ingredients, and ease of preparing -- the baked boneless, skinless, chicken breast.

I buy the boneless, skinless chicken breasts when I find them priced around $1.50 to $1.75 per pound. This is usually in the value package; so, when I get them home, I divide them into one and two breast mini-packages for the freezer.

To use, I thaw one or two, and then prepare for baking. I lightly butter the baking tray. Next, I drizzle about 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil over the tops, and turn to coat completely. Then, I season with a bit of salt, garlic powder and chili powder. I bake at 350 degrees F, for about 20-25 minutes, or until done. That's it. Easy-peasy. Once chilled and sliced, I have lunch meat for several days.

For a cost comparison, recently when I have bought deli lunchmeat, I've spent in the neighborhood of $3.75 to $6.00 per pound, depending on variety and sales. For home-baked chicken "lunch meat", my cost is under $2.00 per pound, including the seasonings and electricity for the baking.  The bonus is that I know what is in my meat, and I control sodium, fat and preservatives.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers the Last Week of February

This week went by in a blur, so I'll try to remember what we had for dinner each night. What I do know is that it was frugal. I wouldn't have had time to rush out for takeaway meals.

Friday

• turkey, vegetable and barley soup
• toasted cheese sandwiches
• orange wedges

Saturday
husband's night to cook

• wrap sandwiches
• carrots and celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing

Sunday

This was the night that we had leftovers from the fundraiser that I work.

• leftover assorted sandwiches
• leftover chips
• leftover fruit salad
• tossed salad made from leftover lettuce, cucumber slices and half of a tomato, topped with bleu cheese dressing
• a mix of the leftover egg salad, potato salad and cole slaw
• leftover cookies

Monday

• egg salad sandwiches
• soup from the freezer, turkey, vegetable and barley
• bananas

Tuesday

• soft tacos, made with 1 chicken breast, cooked onions, lettuce, black beans and salsa (really yummy!)
• canned corn
• cookies -- those jam-filled ones that I shower to you earlier this week

Wednesday

• black bean and lentil soup
• cheese quesadillas
• tossed salad (lettuce, cucumber slices, olives, bleu cheese dressing)
• cookies

Thursday

• pancakes, with real maple syrup (a treat that we are enjoying tremendously)
• scrambled eggs
• pumpkin souffle (I had canned pumpkin in the fridge needing using, and this sounded good with what else was planned)
• blackberry-rhubarb sauce from the freezer

I made it through the week. My back hurts from hunching over papers, as I edited. I'm exhausted and just want to go for a vacation on a tropical island. But I'm not quite done. I have to put together a portfolio for review. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend?

Besides that, my one daughter comes home tomorrow morning. I'll be picking her up, with my other daughter with me. The three of us will do our galentine's thing, Saturday AM. We missed it on Valentine's, but aren't going to let this opportunity slip away from us. 

This past week, I think one of the tastiest things that I ate were the soft tacos. I'm usually not a big fan of flour tortilla tacos, preferring the texture of corn tortillas, but those chicken tacos were delicious. They were a hybrid between soft tacos and fajitas. We didn't add cheese, or sour cream or any usual taco toppings, but had the lettuce, olives, black beans, along with strips of cooked chicken and grilled onions. If I had had any peppers in the house, those would have made the tacos over the top!

This next week, I will finally have time to cook from scratch, again. As it happens, there is now room in the freezer for some prepared meals and soups. So, I'll get busy on the casserole-making and soup simmering. I've enjoyed not having to cook as much this winter.

The other thing that I am really looking forward to is flowers. Who else is ready for spring? I still have crocus bulbs in the fridge that need planting out. It shouldn't be too late. And I need to get started on some seeds this week. Oh, and then there's taxes. It is looking like a busy couple of weeks, but a nice change from everything that I've been working on.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Saving Crumbs (Now That Sounds Thrifty!)

In that tiny, hard to reach cabinet above the refrigerator, I stash the practically empty bags from potato and tortilla chips. Yes, we do occasionally receive bags of chips. These are most often freebies to us, either through a Friday Freebie coupon from Fred Meyer, or as a leftover from the fundraising luncheons for which I serve.

Today, my cupboard is hiding a bag of potato chip crumbs and a bag of blue corn tortilla chip bits. I keep these bags in this seldom used cabinet as they are less likely to be found, being out of the main pantry area of the kitchen. If they are not found, then no one will mistakenly think they are empty and trash them. Even in my frugal home, someone could toss out perfectly good potato chip crumbs. The nerve!

Why on earth would I hang onto the crumbs? These crumbs and bits make great toppings for salads and soups, in place of croutons. And as I don't buy croutons, having the crumbs on hand means that I don't have to go to the trouble to make croutons as often. No waste and it saves time.

Soft Tacos and More Jam Cookies

I know that I am overtired, this week. I believe that is contributing to my current funk. However, I was able to make significant progress, yesterday afternoon, on my work, which is a huge relief. I do wonder why I set myself up for such hard work, sometimes.

When planning a quick to fix dinner, I find myself beginning the mental prep work while I'm fixing my breakfast. By doing this early in the day, I can rummage through the freezers and pantry to find suitable ingredients, and still have time for them to thaw. Yesterday morning, my thoughts ran to Mexican food. Fortunately, I had flour tortillas, raw chicken, and cooked black beans in the freezer. Add a can of corn, some olives, lettuce and the last of the salsa, and I think we're in business. Soft tacos and corn -- simple, satisfying and delicious.

I did take a few minutes to make a sweet treat. This is yet another simple way to make jam cookies. Instead of balls, you cut rolled out dough into squares, dollop with jam, and fold the points in toward the center on two sides, then bake. After Christmas, I found several packages of sugar cookie dough, pre-rolled out, on markdown. I paid 55 cents per package, even though the tag says 69 cents.

This is really very handy cookie dough. I don't know if I would pay full price, but if I see it marked down in the future, I will buy it again.

I cut the dough into squares.

Topped each with a spoon of jam.

Folded the corners in to the center.

Baked. And here's what they look like once done.

Yesterday Was a Really Long, Hard Slog of Work

I am finishing up my writing course, but I tell you, yesterday was grueling.  A lot of folks had the day off from work. Not here; not me. I worked, and edited and revised, and edited some more, and examined what I had revised, and finally conked out, too tired to think with any remaining clarity. I'll need to get right back to that project later this morning, hopefully with a fresh (and capable) mind.

One of my daughters is away from home for the week. (Yes, I'm sad on top of tired.) The other daughter was also busy with classwork all day long. She misses her sister. The two of us commiserated, heartily. Neither she nor I had time to cook dinner for the four of us. And no one else was stepping up to the plate. So, I pulled a container of soup out of the freezer, added egg salad sandwiches and bananas, and that was dinner.

I'm tired and sad today. I hope that I am out of this funk by tomorrow. I do have a goal in sight; and the thought of that goal is driving me forward. I know that many of you understand this feeling, of pushing yourself through a tough time in order to reach a much-desired goal. Wishing you success as you reach for your stars.

Have a great day, friends!

The Weekend's Blessings

One daughter and I worked at a fundraiser luncheon over the weekend. Afterward, the woman in charge blessed us with enough leftovers for our Sunday dinner.

We enjoy working at these fundraisers. The work gives us time together, and with other women who we admire and respect. The work would be pleasure enough.  So, it's a bonus that they bless us with the leftovers.

Sunday night, I had enough of this month's leftovers to put together an entire meal for five people. We had assorted sandwiches, tossed green salad, a mixture of small amounts each of egg salad, potato salad and cole slaw, fruit salad, cookies, and potato chips.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Valentine's Week

Friday

• pumpkin, chicken and potato soup (this was very good, so good there were no leftovers to freeze for Wednesday)
• cheese and avocado quesadillas
• cookies

Saturday

husband cooks

• brown rice
• marinara sauce
• cheese quesadillas
• carrot sticks

Sunday

• pot roasted beef
• carrots
• potatoes
• olives and pickles
• sparkling cider
• cookies

Monday

• quick beef and veggie stew made with the leftovers from Sunday dinner, plus some celery and canned peas
• fresh-baked whole wheat bread

Tuesday

• homemade cheese pizza
• canned green beans
• carrot sticks and bleu cheese dressing for dip
• canned pineapple chunks
• cookies

Wednesday

• leftover cheese pizza
• slaw made from green and red cabbage and celery, in a dressing of marked down bleu cheese salad dressing, blended with mayonnaise and chive blossom vinegar
• sweet potato casserole topped with mini-marshmallows (I'm not entirely sure if this was a side dish or dessert -- yummy either way!)

Thursday

• turkey, brown rice, celery, and cream of mushroom soup casserole (I used the turkey legs that I had frozen right after Thanksgiving)
• canned green beans
• leftover sweet potato casserole
• pumpkin cake

We rearranged our weekend plans, as my son's fiancee wasn't feeling well on Saturday. As a result, we had our celebratory dinner on Sunday. I had been thinking that I would bring something in for dinner, maybe take-out pizza and bagged salad (so I could work on a writing and advertising project which was due).  However, every time I opened the refrigerator, I saw an 11-pound hunk of beef that needed dividing into freezer portions.  This inspired me to make a simple pot roast, with potatoes and carrots. I saved us about $15 on the take-out, and was still able to pull together the dinner, although a little late. I'm glad that I made the changes that I did, as the beef was very appreciated by all.

I am steadily using up my supplies in pantry, fridge and freezer.  The canned goods have been extreme time-savers for me this winter. Looking at last night's dinner, I used a canned item in 4 different dishes. I am looking forward to the day when I can see everything in the freezer and pantry, without having to rummage around.

What was on your menu this past week? Do you typically have Valentine's dinner at home, or is this an eating out occasion for you? Have a wonderful weekend!

This Sounds Strange, but It Did Work

I was a little short on cheese for Tuesday night's pizza-making. So, I improvised just a tad. Those white blobs are not mozzarella, in case you were thinking along those lines. Those lumps are cream cheese. I had no idea how this was going turn out, or taste. It wasn't just for 1 pizza, either. I was making pizza for two dinners. You could say that it was a bit of a gamble. However, my family is a group of risk-takers, when it comes to my cooking.

The cream cheese did not melt into the rest of the cheese; but it did taste great. After baking, I topped the whole thing with lots of dried, crumbled garden basil, which maybe hid the whiteness of the cream cheese a little.

Part of this package of cream cheese had some dried out portions. those would normally get tossed. The other night, though, I just added them to the pizza. No one noticed. Anyway, sounds strange, but cream cheese on a pizza did work.

Storing the Big Bags of Yeast

I buy active dry yeast for baking in 2 lb bags. It takes us about a year to use this much yeast. When I open a new bag, I pour about 4 ounces into a small glass jar (it's actually a really old yeast jar. The expiration date is something like 1998). This is the yeast that I access on a regular basis. I keep it in the refrigerator.

With the rest of the bag of yeast, I fold down the top and secure with a rubber band, then put the opened bag into a gallon ziploc. I keep this yeast in the refrigerator, as well. It still works, even a little over a year later.

I made pizza last night with the tail end of my last bag. It still turned out nicely with a puffy crust.
I have also read that you can store active dry yeast in the freezer, for up to 2 years with success. Just an FYI if you don't go through yeast quickly enough.

Where do you store your yeast?

Raspberry Fingers

This is the recipe for the cookies that were pictured on my blog this past Friday. In the photo above, I used leftover scraps of sugar cookie dough. However, I think the recipe that I'm posting today is a better base for the cookie. It's crisper and holds up to the jam better, IMO.

I love jam thumbprint cookies, but I dislike the extra work of rolling individual balls, and putting jam into multiple thumbprints. This method for "fingers" is simpler. And I believe, "jammier". I hope you enjoy them!

You bake the cookies in two segments, one without the filling, and the other after adding the filling. (The filling is simply jam, by the way.)

Ingredients:
1 cup of butter, softened
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2  1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 tablespoons water, as needed

raspberry jam (other flavors of jam also work well, such as plum or blackberry), about 4-6 ounces


Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.

Stir the flour and salt together. Add to the creamed butter/sugar/egg/vanilla, 1/3 of the flour at a time, mixing well between additions. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed, until the dough is workable, but not too soft. Roll the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap and chill 20 to 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into quarters. Roll each quarter into a long rope that is the length of your baking sheet. Lightly butter a baking sheet, or use a non-stick baking sheet. Lay 2 ropes onto a baking sheet, and press a trough down the center of each rope.

Bake at 375 degrees F, for 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, and fill the dough troughs with jam. Return to oven and bake for 9 to 12 minutes longer, or until light golden brown.

Cool on the baking sheet, set on a wire rack. Cut on the diagonal, while on the baking sheet, then remove to a rack.

Makes about 3 dozen.

If you want to make them look fancy, make a thin white icing and drizzle over the tops of the cooled cookies, like this (they'll be finger-shaped, however):

Or, sprinkle with powdered sugar, for this look (again, as above, they'll be finger-shaped and not rounds):

Senior Shopping Day Last Week

I bought all of this for $20.12 I am amazed, myself, because this is a month's supply of milk for the family, 4 jars of natural peanut butter, soy milk for me, about a pound and a half of smoked almonds, hot dogs, cookie mixes and canned frosting.

It was Senior Discount Day, so 10% was taken right off the top for any of the house brands, and natural foods. The milk was on sale, already for 99 cents each, plus the 10% discount on those. The soy milk was on markdown, plus 10% off, as it is one of Fred Meyer's house brands. The smoked almonds were on sale for $4.99/lb, and they also received the 10% off, as they come from the natural foods' section. As I was about to check out, I saw these cookie mixes and canned frosting on markdown, the cookie mixes for 42 cents/box, and the canned frosting for 37 cents/can. I could not pass those up. Even though I prefer scratch products for myself (digestive issues with packaged foods), these are perfect for when it is my turn to serve at coffee hour (which happened to be this past Sunday).

If you are a math whiz, you have probably figured out that surely this must have cost more than $20. I also had a $10.83 reward to use before March, from the autumn reward's cycle. And that brought my grand total down to $20.12.

Sadly, what was not in my cart that day was produce. I did pick up some fresh fruit and vegetables a week ago, Friday. Those items will have to do for the moment.

Anyway, I was incredibly pleased to spend so little.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Early February

cookies made with scraps from rolled out sugar cookies, formed into a log,
 smashed flat, and filled with raspberry jam -- really delicious

Friday

• turkey noodle and vegetable soup
• cranberry sauce muffins

Saturday

Husband's night to cook

• scrambled eggs with cheese and onions
• hash-browned potatoes
• stewed tomato
• canned green beans

Sunday

• spaghetti pasta
• tomato, vegetable and meat sauce
• braised red cabbage
• carrots sticks
• blackberry cobbler with whipped cream

Monday

• leftover spaghetti casserole
• canned green beans
• leftover blackberry cobbler

Tuesday

• baked potatoes, topped with butter, cream cheese and cheddar cheese
• steamed carrots
• canned corn
• slaw made from red cabbage and sliced celery
• olives
• toffee bar cookies

Wednesday

• black bean soup, topped with cheddar, avocado and broken tortilla chips (bottom of the bag from December)
• French bread
• canned pineapple chunks
• cookies

Thursday

• leftover turkey-noodle soup from last Friday
• cranberry sauce muffins (also leftover)
• slaw made with red cabbage and celery, in a dressing of mayo, bleu cheese dressing and vinegar
• cookies

This has been a great week for soup. I've had soup for lunch a couple of days and we all had soup for dinner on three evenings. Cold weather = soup. 

Our primary vegetables continue to be canned, or fresh carrots, celery and cabbage. I got lucky at WinCo last Friday and found avocados for 58 cents each. I only bought three. We have been enjoying them, though. The canned vegetable supply has been dwindling. I am hoping that it will hold out through March, when late in that month I should be able to harvest kale, sorrel, watercress and parsley from the garden. Those last items will supplement continued purchases of fresh carrots, celery and cabbage, as well as whatever I find at the produce stand, which will open the last weekend of March. I can hardly believe it, but spring is nearly here!

My pre-planned menu has worked very well, thus far. I've only strayed from the plan a couple of times; which must mean that this has been a success. It runs through the end of this month. So, I will need to plan March and April's menus, soon.

What was on the menu at your house this past week? Do you have a plans for the weekend? We'll be celebrating Chris and Angie's engagement on Saturday evening. On Sunday morning, I'll have heart-shaped pancakes for brunch for everyone, after church. 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!

Easy-to-Make Heart-Shaped Pancakes for Valentine's Weekend Breakfast

A couple of things, today. First, some photos of how I make heart-shaped pancakes, with Valentine's just around the corner. The full post showing two ways to make heart-shaped pancakes, right here. 

These are easy to make. You can pour the hearts out with batter, off of the tip of a large spoon, or cut hearts out of round pancakes with a cookie cutter. It's a fun, and free, thing to do for your loved ones on Valentine's Day, or the weekend before.

Or . . . . . . .

My "other" thing, heart-shaped pancakes are a definite item for our menu this weekend, at some point, because. . .

my son, Chris, and his girlfriend, Angie, got engaged this past week!!!

Using Every Last Bit of a Bundle of Celery

When I buy a bundle of celery, I do something, right away, that ensures the flavorful tops will not get tossed into the compost or frozen for making stock.

With everyone making their own lunches, now, I noticed on a few occasions that some leafy celery tops made their way into the compost bin. My reaction -- Yikes! That's real food that you are tossing out!

Anyway, I had to find a work-around on this one, as nagging does not inspire compliance.

When I get those bundles home from the store, I "decapitate" the entire bundle. I chop off the top portion, just beneath the main joint where the long stem meets the leafy branch. I leave all of the stems, in tact, on the bundle and unwashed. There are decay issues if you wash the bundle without pulling the stems off; and leaving the stems still attached to the bundle keeps them fresher, longer.

After cutting all of the tops off, I wash those parts, and chop to add to a pot of soup.

Problem solved.