ThriftyFun Recipes - May 25, 2007

Thank you Robin and Connie for today's recipes! We are taking Monday off for Memorial day so the next issue will be on Tuesday.

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Susan

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Recipe Requests:

• Pizza Dough Freezer Recipe

Today's Recipes:

• Lemon Cream Cake
• E-Z Apple Bars
• Streusel Cream Cheese Cake
• Pumpkin Pecan Bread
• Classic Macaroni Salad
• Chinese Ramen Salad
• Cheater's Lasagna
• Orange Pineapple Salad Dressing
• Thousand Island Dressing
• $10 Dinners: Chicken Stir Fry
• Stuffed Pork Chops

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Pizza Dough Freezer Recipe

I am looking for a pizza dough recipe. We like thin pizza and would like to make pizzas up in advance and freeze them. Any recipes that you'd like to share?

Thanks,
Mindy

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Lemon Cream Cake

I took this recipe from the internet and made it yesterday. Served it to friends with the lemon sauce, and we all agreed that it's delicious!

Ingredients

• 5 large eggs
• 1-3/4 cups sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 2/3 cup heavy cream {whipping type}
• 6 Tbsp. melted butter, or margarine (not spread)
• finely grated zest of 3 lemons
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, sugar, and salt; beat until thick and a light lemon color. In another bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and sugar mixture a little at a time; blend well. Blend in the cream and melted butter and stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges. Remove to a rack to cool for about 45 minutes, then turn the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.

Lemon Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• dash of salt
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. juice from fresh lemon

Directions

Combine cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan; stir to blend well. Slowly stir in the boiling water. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to boil. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and add the lemon zest and juice. Spoon over sliced cooled lemon cake. Makes about 1 cup lemon sauce.

By Connie from Oden, Arkansas

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E-Z Apple Bars

Ingredients

• 5 cups apples, unpeeled and diced
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup chopped nuts, pecans or walnuts
• 1/2 tsp. ginger
• 1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cloves

Directions

Put all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Mix 2 minutes. That's all there is to it! Bake 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees F in a 14x10 inch greased and floured pan. These are really good without frosting!

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Streusel Cream Cheese Cake

Ingredients

Batter

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cup flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 2 packages cream cheese (8oz. each), softened
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, softened

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. For batter, place butter and sugar in large mixing bowl; beat a medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add to butter mixture; mix well. Spread 2/3 of the batter onto bottom of 10 inch springform pan. For filling, combine cream cheese, egg, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl; mix well. Spread batter in pan. Spoon remaining third of batter on top. For topping, combine flour and sugar in small bowl. Add butter; blend until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over batter. Bake 45 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Pumpkin Pecan Bread

Ingredients

• 5 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups salad oil
• 2 cups pumpkin
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 packages. coconut pudding mix (cooked kind and use dry)
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Directions

Mix dry ingredients in bowl. Add eggs, oil, pumpkin and beat with mixer until blended together. Do not overmix! Add pecans. Fill 3 greased and floured loaf pans about half full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Classic Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. shell macaroni
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 cucumber, seeded and diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 cup shredded cheese

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions

Cook macaroni in salted water until tender, rinse under cold water. Add the rest of ingredients and the dressing. May not need to use all the dressing.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Chinese Ramen Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lg head cabbage
• 4-5 green onions
• 3 Tbsp. margarine
• 1 package sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 packages ramen noodles, broken

• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2-3 Tbsp. soy sauce

Directions

Chop cabbage and green onions and mix together. Refrigerate. Melt margarine in 9x13 inch pan. Add almonds, sunflower seeds and ramen noodles that have been broken in small pieces. In 350 degree F oven, heat until browned, stirring occasionally. Cool. Dressing: Bring ingredients to boil, then cool. When ready to serve, mix all ingredients together and pour on dressing.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Cheater's Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 lg. package wide noodles, not lasagna noodles
• 1 lb. hamburger
• 1 onion, chopped (opt.)
• 1 green pepper, chopped (opt.)
• 1 can mushrooms (opt.)
• 1 large jar prepared spaghetti sauce
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• Mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook noodles in boiling water and drain. Place in 9x13 inch baking dish. Brown hamburger, onion, and green pepper. Drain and add to noodles. Add spaghetti sauce, soup, and mushrooms. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake 45 minutes.

Note: This makes a large batch, so you may want to put the lasagna in several casseroles.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Orange Pineapple Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup canned pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. grated orange peel
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

Combine all ingredients, except sour cream. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Chill thoroughly before folding in sour cream. Makes 1 cup dressing.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Thousand Island Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. celery seed
• 1 cup mayonnaise, not salad dressing

Directions

Boil eggs to hard boil stage. While still warm, peel and cool, mashing with fork until fine. Mix all ingredients well. Store in refrigerator. Keeps for a few weeks.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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$10 Dinners: Chicken Stir Fry

These meals are intended to be a relatively simple and healthy weeknight meal for a family of four. We assume that these dinners are being made in a kitchen stocked with regular kitchen staples. We will not include prices of oil, sugar, flour, spices, etc. unless you need a substantial amount or it is unusual. Regional food prices may vary and can be reduced by smart shopping techniques.

Shopping List

Staples

• Cooking Oil (Canola)
• Soy Sauce
• Cornstarch
• Rice

Directions

This is a very quick dinner but there is bit of prep and attention that is needed. Expect that you will need about 20 minutes in the kitchen before it is ready to serve. Start the rice first. I always use a rice cooker because I burn rice on the stove but you can do it whatever way you like. You will want at least 2 cups of cooked rice, more if you want leftovers.

Mince about 3 cloves of garlic and chop onions into bite sized pieces. Set aside. Chop pepper and snow peas approximately the same size. Slice the chicken on the short side into 1/2 inch strips, so they will cook quickly. I like to chop everything and have it ready to go in the pan, buy you can do it in stages if you are on top of things.

Heat about 1 Tbsp. oil in a wok or large frying pan at a medium high heat. Add onion for a minute, then garlic for about 30 seconds. The onion should be softening. Add chicken and cook together until no more pink is showing, 3-4 minutes. You will want to stir regularly for even cooking. There are wok spatulas for this but a wide wooden spoon works as well. Mix 3 Tbsp. soy sauce and 1/4 cup water together and set aside. If you would like a thicker sauce, add a little cornstarch and whisk it all together in a small bowl, removing lumps. Set aside. When the chicken is cooked, add the peppers and peas and toss thoroughly. Add the sauce and mix again. Cover and let steam for a minute or two. If you have opted for cornstarch, you may have to add a bit more water at this point. Make sure the veggies are done and serve over rice. You can turn the heat off and keep this up to 15 minutes but the faster you serve it, the fresher the vegetables will be.

*Note: I put soy sauce and rice in the "Staples" list because I use them both at least once a week and buy them in bulk. If you need to purchase them separately, they should only cost you a few dollars and this still should be under $10 for the total.

Tips:

• You can replace the meat with chicken thighs, pork or beef. Leftover meat is also good, just warm it up as the last step instead.

• I like to trim off the fat and loose pieces off my whole chicken breasts when I get them home from the store. Then I save the little pieces for a stir fry and use the trimmed breasts for grilling or baking. I do this to sale roasts too, some for beef stew, some for stir fry.
• Marinate meat overnight in soy sauce or garlic for added flavor
• Picky kids? Add a can of pineapple toward the end of the cooking and use a yellow pepper. You can also get a teriyaki sauce or make your own with the pineapple juice, soy and a little sugar. If they don't like rice, put in cooked ramen noodles or spaghetti at the end instead.
• Make any substitutions or additions to the vegetables, depending on what is in season or what you have on hand. I like to use broccoli, mushrooms and zucchini. Cook hard veggies, like carrots, early and let them steam to soften and add soft veggies, like bean sprouts, at the very end.
• If you have veggies that you are worried about using up before they go bad, just cut them up for stir fry and freeze them. This will save you even more time and money later on.
• Need a vegetarian meal? Add nuts or seeds to the stir fry instead of meat. Sometimes, I have cooked meat separately and served it on top of the bowls for the carnivores.

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Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 6 thick pork chops
• 3 cups bread cubes, 2 days old
• 2/3 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. sage
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups whole kernel corn, well drained
• Apricot preserves

Directions

Mix all ingredients except preserves and place stuffing in pockets of thick chops or between two thin pork chops. Tie if necessary. Bake at 350 degrees F approximately 45 minutes or until done. Keep the tops moist with butter. The last 10 minutes, spread apricot preserves on chops.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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