ThriftyFun Recipes - August 20, 2009

Thank you Ellen, Molly, Mother of 5, Heather, Elaine, Cheryl, Deeli and moonseekerjade for today's tips and recipes!

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Recipe Requests:

• Low-Fat Vanilla Ice Cream
• Dill Pickle Recipe
• Freezing Garden Produce (Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Zucchini)
• Vanilla Bean Recipes
• Old Fashioned Recipes
• Jelly Did Not Set Up
• Baked Low Fat Crispy Chicken Recipe

Today's Food Tips:

• Make Your Own Brown Sugar
• Freeze Bread Bowl to Keep Dip Cold
• Fun and Frugal Popcorn Seasonings

Today's Contest Recipes:

• Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Taco Pie
• No-Cook Raspberry-Peach Jam
• Basic Whole Wheat Oatmeal Quickbread
• Leftover Meat Loaf Pizza

Robins's Recipe Corner:

• Italian Potato Salad
• Apple Mystery Dessert
• Oven Beef Stew
• Overnight Breakfast Casserole

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Low-Fat Vanilla Ice Cream

Please, can anyone help? My son has egg allergies plus he cannot tolerate too much fat in his food, but he loves vanilla ice cream. Does anyone have a recipe for vanilla ice cream without eggs and preferably made with evaporated or condensed milk instead of cream?

I don't have an ice cream maker so it would have to be a recipe that I can make without one. Thank you so much.

By cett from Malta, Europe

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Dill Pickle Recipe

I am looking for a recipe for dill pickles that are crunchy, or firm not soft. I would like to make them.

By maggie mae1951 from Hayward, WI

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Freezing Garden Produce (Tomatoes, Cucumbers and Zucchini)

When tray freezing zucchini, can you then put it in a Seal a Meal bag?

Laurine M.

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Vanilla Bean Recipes

I'm looking for recipes using vanilla beans; any suggestions? Thanks.

By vbart from Orlando, FL

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Old Fashioned Recipes

I collect recipes and I was wondering if anyone had any they would be willing to share with me. I am really interested in old fashion recipes and homemade recipes. Thank you.

By TinkBell from Toledo, OH

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Jelly Did Not Set Up

I made elderberry jelly last night, it didn't set up. I used two pouches of liquid pectin. Any suggestions?

By Boo/Nana from Eldon, MO

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Baked Low Fat Crispy Chicken Recipe

Seems I have tried baking chicken in all sort of ways, but never have come up with a low fat, crispy chicken recipe. Any ideas? Thanks and God Bless.

By DCW816 from Hampton, Tn

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Make Your Own Brown Sugar

Have you ever run out of brown sugar and don't want to make a trip to the grocery store? Use this recipe if you have some molasses in fridge.

For 1 cup white sugar, add 1 Tbsp. molasses for light brown sugar. Add 2 Tbsp. for dark brown sugar

Double recipe if you need to.

Source: Tip.nut.com

By Elaine from Iowa

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Freeze Bread Bowl to Keep Dip Cold

When making a dip that goes in a bread bowl, make the bread bowl ahead of time and put it in the freezer. After it is frozen, fill the bread bowl with dip and serve. This keeps the dip cool for quite a while!

By Cheryl from Averill Park, NY

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Fun and Frugal Popcorn Seasonings

I don't eat popcorn often but when I do it's fun to experiment with different seasonings.

Salt and Vinegar is yummy and all you have to do is lightly spray the popcorn with vinegar and sprinkle with regular table salt.

Another one to try is using assorted salt flavorings like garlic salt, Creole seasoning or my very favorite is using one of the four assorted bacon salts available online through J and D's. Yum Yum ;-)

And, if you like things on the hot side, mix a few drops of Tabasco sauce in with the butter before pouring on to the popcorn ;-)

If the bacon salt sounds interesting to you for the popcorn or cooking in general here's the link:

• http://www.baconsalt.com/

Source: Discoveries while experimenting ;-)

By Deeli from Richland, WA

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Sweet and Sour Meatballs

This is the best,quickest easy recipe for great meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 can cranberry sauce
• about 1/2 cup hot sauce (more or less to taste)
• thawed frozen meatballs

Directions:

In saucepan, heat cranberry sauce. When almost melted, start adding hot sauce, stirring constantly. Once cranberry sauce is melted, add meatballs. Stir and cook until meatballs are heated through. Sauce will thicken.

Source: I read it in magazine a long, long time ago

By moonseekerjade from Onset, MA

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Taco Pie

I call this recipe Taco Pie, but it rarely resembles a taco. I created it years ago while experimenting, and it has become a family favorite. My youngest child will eat this when she will eat nothing else. It is also very versatile. It can stand alone with just a few toppings or be served with Spanish Rice and Mexican Corn.

You can make it with beans from a can, or with ones you've cooked yourself (or without any beans at all). I have made this without the beef for a vegetarian meal. I have even replaced the beef with rice cooked with taco seasonings. In other words, this recipe can be tweaked to suit your family. It is inexpensive - about $1 a serving, less if you leave out the meat.

Ingredients:

• 16 oz. bag tortilla chips
• 1-2 cans chili beans (according to taste)
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 8 oz. cheese of your choice, shredded
• assorted taco toppings

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Crush the tortilla chips into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Cook the beef in a skillet. Pour off any fat. Add 3/4 cup water and the seasoning. At this point, I usually add the beans to the meat so they can heat through. Simmer until the mixture thickens. Pour onto crushed chips. Top with shredded cheese. Bake for 15 minutes.

If the other ingredients are preheated, this only needs to be baked long enough to melt the cheese, about 15 minutes. Or it can bake for 45 minutes while you prepare side dishes. If you are going to bake this for more than 15 minutes, be sure to cover it so the cheese won't get too brown.

Serve with taco toppings - salsa, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, etc. My family likes dill pickles on our tacos and taco pie. Sounds funny, but tastes great.

If you serve this with just the toppings and no side dishes, you can get 6-8 servings out of it. With sides, you can probably get 10. Once you add the toppings, this turns into a pretty big dish. We always have enough to feed my family of five, and have some left over for lunch the next day.

By Heather from Clarksburg, OH

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No-Cook Raspberry-Peach Jam

An easy recipe for anyone not skilled at making preserves.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup crushed raspberries
• 1 cup peeled, finely chopped peaches
• 3 3/4 cups sugar
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 pouch Certo

Directions:

Mix prepared fruits in large bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Let stand 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and Certo. Continue to stir 3 minutes until most of the sugar is dissolved. Pour into clean plastic containers or glass jars leaving a little head space. Cover with lids tightly and let stand at room temperature until set (may take 24 hours).

Store in freezer or for 3 weeks in refrigerator.

By mother of 5 from Nova Scotia

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Basic Whole Wheat Oatmeal Quickbread

This is a basic recipe that makes a dense, wholesome, tasty loaf. It is easy to make substitutions in the ingredients depending on what you have on hand.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt (optional, I usually leave this out to cut down on my sodium)
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 3 Tbsp. Splenda
• 2 cups milk

Directions:

1. Prepare a 9x5" loaf pan - give it a good coating of cooking spray or line with parchment paper as this dough tends to stick to the pan.

2. Combine the oats, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

3. In another bowl, mix the oil, Splenda and milk. Gradually add in the flour mixture and mix well.

4. Place the dough in the prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for one hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. It is not necessary to preheat oven but don't timing until the oven reaches the correct temperature.

Possible substitutions:

For the Splenda, you can use honey, sugar, brown sugar or any other sweetener of your choice.

For the milk, I have used water, fat free plain yogurt, a combination of the yogurt and reduced fat mayo, one cup unsweetened applesauce and one cup water - as long as you use two cups of liquid, the possibilities are endless.

For the oil, I have used an additional two tablespoons of the yogurt, or applesauce or mayo.

You can also use white all purpose flour in place of all or part of the whole wheat but it will change the texture of the bread.

You can add spices and dried fruit for a nice taste variation. I have added a teaspoon of cinnamon and about 3/4 cup of raisins, but use whatever you have on hand.

Source: I found the original recipe, Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread, on www.allrecipes.com. I have experimented and tweaked it a lot!

By molly539 from New York,NY

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Leftover Meat Loaf Pizza

I make my family pizza with left over meat loaf.

For the dough:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups self rising flour
• one pkg. quick rising yeast,
• 1/8 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
• one cup lukewarm water or milk

Directions:

I put yeast in the lukewarm water or milk, put sifted flour in bowl. Add the oil, yeast and water or milk mixture to the flour and oil. Mix well and knead. Put on a oiled cookie sheet pan. Spread out evenly. I always put oil on my hands, to get the dough to glide easier with out sticking. Spread to edges. Put aside to rest.

I put a can of spaghetti sauce, any brand. Spread evenly on the prepared pizza dough. I dice up the left over meat loaf. I spread evenly on the prepared pizza dough, I add olives, and a can of well drained corn.

I sprinkle on oregano spice and some pepperoni, (it doesn't require the pepperoni), one large pack of mozzarella cheese.

Put in oven, bake at 350 degrees F. until pizza dough is golden brown, not burned. 30-45 minutes.

Source: Ellen Lou Severs. Author of A Whisper Through Life, I have been making this recipe for 30 years.

By Ellen from Knoxville, TN

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Italian Potato Salad

Ingredients

• 5 cups thinly sliced cooked potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery
• 1 cup diced Provolone cheese
• 3/4 cup cubed hard Italian sausage
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped peperonici
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 1/4 cup brine from peperonici
• 1/2 tsp. oregano, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

Directions

Toss together first 7 ingredients in large bowl. Blend sour cream, brine, oregano and salt in small bowl. Add to potato mixture, tossing to blend. Fol in half the tomatoes. Chill, covered, for several hours. Garnish with remaining tomatoes and parsley.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Apple Mystery Dessert

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup cake flour
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. mace
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tart apples
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

Mix and sift first 6 ingredients. stir in unbeaten eggs and vanilla. Fold in apples and walnuts. Turn into well greased 9 inch pie pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until nicely browned and crusty looking. May be eaten plain or with small scoops of ice cream or frozen yogurt.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Oven Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 2 lb. stew beef
• 4-6 carrots, peeled, cut in fourths
• 4-6 potatoes, peeled, quartered
• 1 lg. onion, quartered
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 can golden mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 can tomato soup
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 envelope dry onion soup mix

Directions

Combine all ingredients with 2 cups water in Dutch oven. Bake, covered, at 275 degrees F for 6 hours or longer. Remove bay leaves before serving.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ham or sausage
• 8 eggs
• 4 cups milk
• 1 package croutons
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

If using sausage, brown and drain. If using ham, cube. Beat eggs; add remaining ingredients. Place in greased 9x13 inch baking dish and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350-375 degrees F for 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes before cutting.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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