ThriftyFun Recipes - May 16, 2008

Thank you Robin, Bobbie, Darlene, Connie, Gertie, Tamsy, Deeli and Marie for today's tips and recipes! In Robin's Recipe Corner we have a corrected version of Spy Pie.

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Today's Food Tips:

• Use Toothpicks to Transport Cakes
• Lock Tabs on Aluminum Foil and Plastic Wrap Boxes
• Freeze Your Cabbage For Rolls

Today's Contest Recipes:

• Lettuce and Fruit Salad
• Easy Leftover Steak Dinner
• Potato and Ham Hash with Eggs
• Cherry Delight

Robins's Recipe Corner:

• Daughter's Banquet Orange Salad
• Spy Pie
• Peach-Berry Cobbler
• Carrot Casserole
• Barb's Pork Chops
• Pecan Pie Brownies
• Cavatini

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Use Toothpicks to Transport Cakes

Try the toothpick trick. If you have an iced cake you need to save or transport, and you don't have a special carrier, you can prevent smashed icing by sticking toothpicks in the surface of the cake before covering it with plastic wrap or foil. The toothpicks keep the wrap off the icing so it will be in perfect condition when serving time arrives.

By Marie from West Dundee, IL

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Lock Tabs on Aluminum Foil and Plastic Wrap Boxes

How often are we frustrated when the roll of foil or plastic wrap pops out of the box when we are using it causing much frustration and waste of the product and time? You know what I am talking about. ;-)

Go ahead, go to the kitchen and check. If you're like myself, and most likely the majority of others, your first thought will be, "How come no one ever told me about this before and why is it I never noticed until now!" The next thing you'll do is 'press the tabs' to test it.

On each end of the box of aluminum foil or plastic wrap, generic or not, it will say "Press here to lock tab." Press them both and you will never have the roll of foil or plastic wrap popping out of the box again. :-)

By Deeli from Richland, WA

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Freeze Your Cabbage For Rolls

Did you know that if you freeze a raw head of cabbage for 2 or 3 days you don't have to scald it to make cabbage rolls. The cabbage is soft when it thaws and easy to handle. You don't need any toothpick either. I gave this hint to a lady that worked in a school cafeteria and she said her co-workers were so glad. She said the ladies were so glad not to burn themselves scalding the cabbage.

Source: I think I read it in a hint somewhere. I can't remember. I've used this hint for over forty years now. I've used it often. We have a garden so when we have cabbage I make a lot of cabbage rolls and I freeze some.

By Gertie from Erath, LA

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Lettuce and Fruit Salad

A salad all will love.

Cut up lettuce about 1/2 a head. Place on bottom of bowl.

• Cut up an apple in small chunks.
• Cut red grapes (Seedless) in half.
• Cut oranges in small pieces.
• Chunked pineapple. Save juice.
• Cut jar cherries in 1/2.

Add your favorite salad dressing to each serving.

Yummy. Our family loves it. You may use any fruits.

Source: I made this one up. Our daughter doesn't eat salads, well didn't. Now she loves them.

By Tamsy from TX

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Easy Leftover Steak Dinner

If you make steak and have any left, here is a recipe we made up and thought you might like it.

You can do this with any kind of steak and make steak sandwiches with mozzarella cheese and mushrooms. Add green peppers for a pepper steak. We just love it plain, it is really is good that way also. Add some fries, a salad. It really is a reasonable dinner and it helps to use up anything extra.

Cut leftover steak into strips. Then melt 1/2 stick butter in skillet. Add 1/2 tsp. garlic salt (or more depending on your taste) and 1 Tbsp. parsley. Mix a little. Add steak and cook for 3 minutes on each side.

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

By Darlene from Fairview, PA

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Potato and Ham Hash with Eggs

Heat a little oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 lb., 4 oz. bag refrigerated diced potatoes with onions, 2 chopped green peppers. (or fresh diced potatoes to equal the 1 pound, 4 oz.), and 1 cup diced ham or left-over ham. Cook stirring often, 12 minutes, or until potatoes are lightly browned. Stir in salt and pepper to taste.

With back of spoon, make 8 indentations in potato mixture. Crack 8 eggs into indentations. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 6 minutes, or until eggs are cooked to desired doneness.

Remove from heat, sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded 4-cheese Mexican blend. Cover; let stand 1 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve with warm chunky salsa, (your choice of heat)

By Connie from Cotter, AR

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Cherry Delight

Cherry Delight I

Ingredients

• 16-20 graham crackers, crushed
• 1/4 cup butter (4 Tbsp.)
• 18-20 Large Marshmallows
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 pint Cool Whip
• 1 can Cherry Pie Filling (for 13x9 inch pan 2 or 3 cans)

Directions

Combine crushed graham crackers and butter, mix well.

Put marshmallows and milk in double boiler. Heat until marshmallows melt. Cool. Combine with Cool Whip. Put a layers of graham cracker crumb mixture then cherries, marshmallows, etc., until pan is full. Chill.

By Chris from PA

Cherry Delight II

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups coconut OR 1 cup coconut and 1/4 cup oatmeal
• 3/4 cup fine cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup sugar OR 1/3 cup splenda
• 1/2 cup flour ( I use oat flour )
• 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

Mix all throughly and press 1/2 of the mixture in an 8 inch pan. Top with one can cherry pie filling or another pie filling your family likes. Top with the rest of the mixture. Bake in a preheated oven, I use my toaster over to save on energy. 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Serve as is or serve with a small scoop of ice cream or a dollop of cool whip.

Source: This is a recipe that my husband's Mom gave me when we first got married. . .41 years ago. It is still one of our family favorites.

By Bobbie G from Rockwall, TX

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Daughter's Banquet Orange Salad

Ingredients

• 1 reg. box tapioca pudding (not instant)
• 1 reg. box vanilla pudding (not instant)
• 1 reg. box orange gelatin
• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 cup water

Directions

Boil all ingredients together for 5 minutes; cool. Add 1 cup pineapple tidbits, well drained. Add 2 cups mandarin oranges. Refrigerate.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Spy Pie

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. Dream Whip
• 1 c. sugar (You can leave this out, if you think it is too sweet. I did.)
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1 pie shell (I used shortbread crust but you can also use graham cracker or vanilla wafer crusts as well)

Directions

Thaw bag of fruit just enough so that you can puree the fruit with your electric mixer or in your blender. Once the fruit is blended smooth, add to one pkg. Dream Whip that has been prepared according to pkg. directions. Add sugar and 1 T. lemon juice. Mix well and pour into prepared pie crust. Keep in freezer.

By Robin from Washington, IA

Editor's Note: This was a very old recipe from Robin's grandmother. The previous recipe printed two days ago was incorrect. Use this one instead.

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Peach-Berry Cobbler

Cobbler:

Directions

Combine in sauce pan:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water

• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 cups sliced peaches
• 1 cup blueberries

Cobbler Topping:

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup soft margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

Beat all until smooth. Spoon over fruit. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. sugar and 1/4 tsp. nutmeg. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Carrot Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 lb. carrots
• 2 slices crumbled fine bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp. minced onion
• 2 Tbsp. margarine, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. salt

Directions

Mash cooked carrots, add remaining ingredients. Mix together in mixer and pour into buttered casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes, until firm.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Barb's Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 4-6 pork chops
• 1 can whole corn
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 2-3 bay leaves
• salt (optional)

Directions

Mix corn and mushroom soup. Put in baking pan. Put 1/3 or 1/2 bay leaf under each pork chop and put in pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1-1 1/2 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes. Corn mixture makes good gravy.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Pecan Pie Brownies

In saucepan, melt 1/4 cup margarine. Stir in 2 Tbsp. flour and mix until smooth. Add 2 eggs and 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed. Stir over medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 2 cups chopped pecans. Mix well and set aside.

In large bowl, combine 1 box fudge brownie mix (21 oz.), 1/2 cup very hot water, 1/4 cup salad oil, 1 egg and beat 50 strokes by hand.

Grease bottom only of 9x13 inch pan. Spread brownie mixture in pan and spoon pecan mixture over top. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees F until set. Do not overbake. Cool, cut in squares. (Also good with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge sauce as desserts).

Note: I'm told that this was a Martha Stewart recipe.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Cavatini

Ingredients

• 4 cups dry rotini (twirl noodles)
• 1 pound hamburger
• 1 pound sausage
• 1 cup water
• 1 large jar Ragu spaghetti sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cans mushrooms
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• pepperoni slices

Directions

Cook rotini; drain. Set aside. Brown hamburger and sausage and drain. Add rest of ingredients. Cook until cheese melts. Add noodles. Pour into 9x13 inch greased pan. Top with cheese and pepperoni. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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