ThriftyFun Recipes - December 22, 2008

Vol. 7, Num. 246, December 22, 2008 (Read It Online) We are currently getting caught up on sending out newsletters from December, this issue was scheduled for December 22nd. We have one additional recipe newsletter to send out and then we will be caught up and ready to start a new year of publishing. Thank you soyzick, Raymonde, Robin, Celia, MCW, Sarah Ann, Wendy, Sandy and Lisa for today's tips and recipes. Submit Your Favorite Recipe! Need a recipe? Submit a request Thanks for reading, The ThriftyFun Team Send to a Friend! Edit Your Subscriptions: To edit your ThriftyFun subscriptions, click the Update Profile/Email Address link at the bottom of this newsletter. Today's newsletter contains: Recipe Requests: Easy, Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe Melting Butterscotch Morsels Reheating a Baked Potato Storing Sweet Potatoes Freezing Shepard's Pie Made With Previously Frozen Potatoes Today's Food Tips: Thaw Frozen Veggies When Draining Pasta Craft: Create Your Personal Food Tags Instant Potatoes for Souper Soups Today's Contest Recipes: Rest A-Lot Stew Ginger Orange Nut Balls Black Bean And Sweet Potato Stew (Vegan) Baklava Chocolate Mint Cookies Baked Turkey Casserole Oyster Corn Chowder Robins's Recipe Corner: Cheesy Hash Browns with Sour Cream Italian Chicken Peanut Butter Candy Balls Jello Ribbon Turkey Broccoli Casserole Today's Sponsor: Crafting for Fun and Money! If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish. More Information: Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml Recipe Requests: Easy, Soft Sugar Cookie Recipe Does anyone have an easy, soft sugar cookie recipe? Nicole Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf18129157.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Melting Butterscotch Morsels I am trying to melt butterscotch morsels in a microwave using a double boiler. They will not melt like semi chocolate chips. What do I need to do? V.S. Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf55909892.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Reheating a Baked Potato How do you warm up a baked potato? Onesummer Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf70314013.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Storing Sweet Potatoes How do I store sweet potatoes? GayLynn from Texas Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf47582745.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Freezing Shepard's Pie Made With Previously Frozen Potatoes Can I freeze mashed potatoes, thaw them, and re-mash them to make Shepard's Pie? Can I then freeze the Shepard's Pie? Will the twice frozen mashed potatoes taste O.K.? Beverlyc from Natick Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf25988763.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Contests: Tip Contest Submit a Tip or Recipe! Photo Contest Submit a tip with photo! The above contests are weekly. We pick 2 tip winners, 2 photo winners (1 photo and 1 pet photo) and 1 recipe winner at the end of each week. Each winner will win $25! My Frugal Life Submit a My Frugal Life Essay! Today's Food Tips: Thaw Frozen Veggies When Draining Pasta When I'm making pasta salad or a hot dish with pasta and frozen veggies, I cut out a step this way. I pour the frozen veggies (or even fresh broccoli cut small, fresh peas or shredded carrots) into the strainer first, and then drain the pasta right on top of them. A few minutes under the hot pasta will thaw them right out and when I rinse the pasta with cold water, it stops both the pasta and the veggies from turning to mush. Then I just have to mix it all together and I'm done! By Celia from North Jersey Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf96784136.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Craft: Create Your Personal Food Tags My husband's a life-time member of VVA-Vietnam Veterans of America. So this year I offered to donate items for their basket auction in January which will be held after the spaghetti dinner. The son-in-law of one of our members lost his life in Afghanistan and the chapter has named a scholarship in his memory. There have been many area high school students who applied and have won the scholarship to help pay part of their college tuition. So I've been very busy trying to get every thing done before their annual dinner. I've made 6 large and 3 small jars of Hot Cocoa, Hot Chocolate Mocha and Hot Cappucchino Mixes. And also several sugar-free mixes. I just baked 2 lbs. of Classic Sugar Cookies, made a product tag and will attach it to the cookie tin. I took a picture of the cookies and created a tag using a Microsoft Document. I printed the tag on an adhesive mailing label attached it to a piece of thin cardboard, and cut it out using pinking shears. By MCW from Lewiston, NY Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf84289118.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Instant Potatoes for Souper Soups My mother shared her secret with me. She adds instant potatoes to her soups instead of corn starch or flour. Works great with Cream of Broccoli and Potato. I never knew why hers tasted better than mine! She also cooks up a batch of regular instant potatoes and then adds one or two potatoes with the skin for a nice "smashed" dish. Microwave makes the potatoes in a hurry. By Wendy S from Coopersburg, PA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf48735967.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Today's Contest Recipes: Rest A-Lot Stew Ingredients 2 lbs. stew meat (cubed) 1 cup carrots 1 cup thick potato cubes small onion quartered 1 can cream of mushroom soup salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup water Directions Brown meat. When browned place meat and all ingredients in a casserole dish with a tight lid. Bake at 275 degrees F for 4-5 hours. By Sandy from Graettinger, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf48913848.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Ginger Orange Nut Balls Delicious for Christmas Time Ingredients 1 (16 oz.) package of ginger snap cookies, finely crushed (about 4 cups) 1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened condensed Milk 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut 1 cup finely chopped nuts (walnuts or peanuts) 1 cup raisins 1/3 cup orange juice 1 Tbsp. grated orange rind Additional grated orange rind and flaked coconut Directions In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except additional coconut and orange rind. Chill at least 1 hour. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in additional coconut mixed with rind. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. Very tasty and I just love them. Source: Eagle brand recipe By Raymonde from North Bay, Ontario Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf94588895.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Black Bean And Sweet Potato Stew (Vegan) This will easily serve 4-6 people and costs less than $5 to make and has TONS of vitamins! Ingredients 1 onion (diced) 1-2 garlic cloves (minced) 1 green pepper (diced) 1 medium sweet potato (peeled & diced) 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (I use herb) 1 15 oz. can black beans (drained and rinsed) 1 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp. coriander 1 Tbsp. Chili Powder Salt and Pepper to taste Directions Fry onion, garlic and green pepper with a little bit of oil in a large saucepan for about 3 minutes. Add chopped sweet potato and 1 cup of water & simmer till potatoes are cooked (5-6 minutes). Add the rest of the ingredients, stir and cook on med-low heat for about 15-20 minutes. If you like it spicy, add some Tabasco sauce. I use a Korean chili sauce or some red pepper flakes. Serve with bread rolls. Source: Adapted from a website called http://www.theppk.com/. By Lisa from Halifax, NS Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf10065491.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Baklava My partner and I don't really celebrate Christmas, so we're usually quite bored on the 25th of December as we have no friends or family around. A few years ago we started making this on Christmas Day and has become a tradition for us. We would serve it to friends for New Years or colleagues when going back to work. So good! Ingredients 1 (16 oz.) package phyllo dough 1 lb. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) 1 cup butter or margarine 1 tsp, ground cinnamon 1 cup water 1 cup white sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 cup honey Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan. Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep. Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp. Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up. Source: This is a recipe from allrecipes.com By Lisa from Halifax, NS Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf34426875.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Chocolate Mint Cookies I have seen several recipes for Faux Girl Scout Cookies made with Ritz crackers dipped in mint chocolate. I did mine a bit differently. Ingredients Ritz Crackers (whole wheat) Milk Chocolate Morsels Parafin Wax No Cook Fondant: 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar 1/3 cup butter (softened) (not margarine) 1/3 cup light Karo syrup Peppermint Extract (to taste) Directions Combine Fondant ingredients together to form a soft ball. Put in air tight container. Melt the chocolate and wax. Put some Fondant in the middle of a Ritz Cracker and press and form with fingers on top to the edge. When chocolate is melted, use a knife and spread the chocolate over the top and down the edges of the cracker and set on wax paper to dry. You may prefer to dip the whole cracker. I also have ground up candy canes and sprinkled on top of the wet chocolate. These also freeze well. By Sarah Ann from Shelton, WA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf48705280.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Baked Turkey Casserole This is the quick 40 minute casserole dish I served to my kids last night. Ingredients leftover turkey, cut up 1-2 box of BC au gratin potato mix* Parmesan cheese green veggies, like chopped up broccoli pepper garlic powder *Ingredients for mix: water, milk and butter Directions Layer like a lasagna: turkey on bottom of greased casserole dish, cheese on turkey, veggies. Season with pepper and garlic powder then pour au gratin potatoes (after following directions on box) over as top layer. Sprinkle some more cheese as top layer. Bake at 450 degrees F for 30-40 minutes, depending how brown you want the top. By soyzick from Chinatown, HI Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf62613826.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Oyster Corn Chowder Ingredients 2 cans (8 ounces) each whole oysters, undrained 1 can (14 3/4 ounces) cream-style corn 1 cup half and half cream 2 cans (4 oz.) each mushroom stems and pieces, drained 2 Tbsp. butter 1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/8 tsp. pepper (black) Directions In a large skillet, combine together all the ingredients. Cook uncovered on medium heat until heated through (do not boil) stirring occasionally. Source: A friend, Andrea By Raymonde from North Bay, Ontario Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf89243268.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Robin's Recipe Corner: Cheesy Hash Browns with Sour Cream Ingredients 1/4 cup butter 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated 1 package frozen plain hash browns (1lb. 4oz.) 1/2 cup onion, minced 1 cup sour cream salt and pepper ( to taste) paprika (to taste) Directions In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter and 2 cups of the cheddar cheese. Stir constantly for about 1 minute and remove from heat. In a large bowl, combine the hash browns, onions, and sour cream. Mix this in with the cheese mixture and season with paprika and salt & pepper. Pour into a 9 inch pan sprayed with oil. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, until bubbly. Serves 8-10. (Can double the recipe. Use a 9x13 inch pan.) By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf20270719.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Italian Chicken Ingredients 1 large chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut in 2" pieces 1 can mushroom pieces, drained (opt.) 1 tsp. Italian seasoning 2 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce 2 cups cooked pasta Parmesan cheese, grated Directions Place the chicken breast pieces, single layer, in an 8 inch baking dish. Stir the mushrooms and Italian seasoning into the sauce. spoon the sauce on top of the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. To serve, place the chicken on top of the pasta. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese. Serves 4 By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf28438043.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Peanut Butter Candy Balls Ingredients 2 cups peanut butter 3 3/4 cups powdered sugar 1 stick margarine, melted 3 1/2 cups Rice Krispies Candy Coating: 1 bar paraffin wax 6 oz. chocolate chips 1 Hershey bar (8oz.) Directions Mix the peanut butter, powdered sugar and margarine together. Add the Rice Krispies and mix together. (May have to mix with hands.) In a double boiler, melt the paraffin wax, chocolate chips and Hershey bar. Form the peanut butter mixture into balls and dip them into the chocolate mixture. Place on waxed paper. (Can dip in chocolate twice, if desired.) By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf63689948.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Jello Ribbon Ingredients 2 packages (3 oz. each) orange, lemon, lime and cherry 2 cans condensed milk Directions Grease lightly an oblong pan. Make 1 package orange with 3/4 cup boiling water and 3/4 cup cold water. Pour in pan and set 30 minutes or until firm. Make second package of orange with 3/4 cup hot water and 3/4 cup condensed milk (cold). Pour on first layer and set 15-20 minutes. Proceed with each color in same manner. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf56906242.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Turkey Broccoli Casserole A fine way to use turkey leftover. Ingredients 2 cups turkey, cut in small pieces 1 kg. bag frozen broccoli, cauliflower and carrots 1 cup white sauce, seasoned to taste 1/2 cup buttered crumbs Sauce: 1 Tbsp. butter 2 Tbsp. flour 1 cup milk Directions In a greased casserole, mix turkey and vegetables. Season. Melt butter. Stir in flour and seasonings. Add milk. Stir until thick. Pour over turkey and vegetables. Top with buttered white bread crumbs. Bake 45 minutes in a 375 degree F oven. Source: United Church Cookbook By Raymonde from North Bay, Ontario Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf86364010.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Today's Sponsor: Crafting for Fun and Money! If you are an avid crafter, capable writer and own a digital camera, you are eligible to participate. Submit your craft projects to ThriftyFun and we will pay $15 for any crafts that we publish. More Information: Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml More Stuff: Coupon Swap! Swap coupons with other ThriftyFun.com users.