ThriftyFun Recipes - March 16, 2010

It feels like spring in the rainy Northwest. I'm looking forward to starting my veggie garden and buying fresh seasonal produce. It's still to early for much though, so I'm waiting patiently until May. I better get my fill of hearty cold weather food while I still can. If you are looking for some inspiration this week, here are some main dishes from the ThriftyFun library.

• ThriftyFun: Main Dishes

Thank you to rosefroggie, Carol L., Deeli, Sandy, aloneandtired and Great Granny Vi for today's tips and recipes. Be sure to give them a "thumbs up" if you liked their post, they could win $25 in one of our weekly contest.

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Recipe Requests:

• "La Salute E Nella Cotta" Terracotta Cookware

Today's Food Tips:

• Wash Potatoes and Carrots Before Peeling
• Marinating Steak
• Link: Supercook.com For On Hand Food Recipes

Today's Contest Recipes:

• Orange Sherbert Salad
• Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
• Sour Cream Pie
• Macaroni Salad
• Corned Beef and Cabbage

Robins's Recipe Corner:

• Crunchy Barley Salad
• Pumpkin Pie Squares
• Sauerkraut Casserole
• Springtime Lamb Stew

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"La Salute E Nella Cotta" Terracotta Cookware

How old is a "la salute e nella cotta marchio depositato" piece of cookware?

By Gene from Syracuse, NY

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Wash Potatoes and Carrots Before Peeling

I've found when peeling carrots or potatoes, it's best to wash the veggie first and wet the peeler, that way it'll be smooth peeling from there on out. I also put a paper towel underneath to catch all the fruit/veggie so it be a snap to clean up.

Enjoy your cooking!

By rosefroggie from Bonita Springs, FL

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Marinating Steak

I have a steak marinade that we love to use, and a special treat for us. I use a fork to make holes in a steak or two. I coat both the outsides of each steak with a black peppercorn dry marinade, that includes the plastic bag. I massage this into both sides of the steaks.

Then I add about a half to 3/4 cup of minced garlic, then add a drizzle of olive oil, and about a half cup or a cup of lemon juice, massaging and mixing it all together. I like to let it marinade at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours and turning the bag occasionally, then grill.

While grilling, we pour the marinade mixture over the steaks, and sometimes we put some flour tortillas over the steaks. The flour tortillas get somewhat wet, and absorb the flavor and smoke of the grilled meat.

Starting with the drier ingredients helps prevent mishaps with spilling liquid ingredients from the plastic marinade bag.

Source: My husband and I

By Carol L. from South Bend, IN

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Link: Supercook.com For On Hand Food Recipes

I've noticed a lot of people requesting what they can cook based on what they have on hand. Well, here's a great site where you type in the ingredients and oodles of recipe choices come up letting you know what other basic staples you 'might' need for what recipes seem interesting to you! They also have a tutorial for first time users.

• http://www.supercook.com/

Hope you find lots of new recipe ideas :-)

By Deeli from Richland, WA

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Orange Sherbert Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 pkgs orange Jello
• 2 cup boiling water
• 1 pint orange sherbet
• 1 cup mandarin oranges
• 1 cup crushed pineapple

Directions:

Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Add sherbet and mix well. Let stand until mixture is of the consistency of egg white. Add fruit. Pour into a 9x13 inch pan and chill until firm. Serves 10-12.

By Sandy from Graettinger, IA

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Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

I could never make fudge that I didn't have to put in the freezer and eat with a spoon until I tried this, now I have finally got it right.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of cake icing, chocolate or vanilla
• equal amount of peanut butter

Directions:

Put mixture in microwave for 1 minute, pour in buttered pan and refrigerate.

Source: Church cookbook

By aloneandtired from ThornHill, TN

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Sour Cream Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. cloves
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup chopped raisins

Directions:

Beat egg yolks, add sugar, sour cream, cloves, and raisins. Cook until thick in double boiler. Pour in pie crust and cool. Top with meringue.

Source: mother

By Sandy from Graettinger, IA

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Macaroni Salad

Ingredients

• 1 lb. elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
• 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped (or 4-5 green onions)
• 1/2 cup dill pickles, chopped
• 1/2 cup sweet pickles, chopped
• 3 hardboiled eggs - chopped
• 1/2 can black olives, quartered
• 1/2 can RIPE green olives, quartered
• 1 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dill

• 4-5 Tbsp. sweet pickle juice
• mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste
• paprika (top)

Directions

By Great Granny Vi from Moorpark,CA.

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Corned Beef and Cabbage

Don't forget Soda Bread served with honey and a glass of Irish cream or Irish Coffee to tipple, too ;-) Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1/2 pound baby carrots
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1-1/2 lb corned beef brisket
• 1/2 small head cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions:

Place the onion, potatoes and carrots in a slow cooker. Combine water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar and pepper and pour over vegetables. Top with brisket and cabbage. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

By Deeli from Richland, WA

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Crunchy Barley Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cup cooked and well drained barley
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts, drained and quartered
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1 cup cooked ham, cubed

• 1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup salad oil
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• lettuce
• cherry tomatoes
• parsley

Directions:

Combine the first 7 ingredients.

In a bowl, combine the Italian dressing mix, sugar, oil and vinegar. Mix very well; pour over first 7 ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Chill several hours or overnight. Serve on a bed of lettuce; garnish with cherry tomatoes and parsley.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Pumpkin Pie Squares

Ingredients:

• 24 single graham crackers, crushed
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 pkg. cream cheese, softened (8oz.)
• 1 can pumpkin
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup chilled whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Mix graham cracker crumbs and 1/3 cup sugar. Stir in melted butter and pat in buttered baking dish, 9x13 inches. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat 2 eggs, 3/4 cup sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Pour over graham cracker crust. Bake 20 minutes. Beat pumpkin, egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, the milk, salt & cinnamon in top of double boiler.

Cook over boiling water, stirring frequently until thick, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle gelatin on water in small pan. Stir over low heat, just until dissolved. Stir into pumpkin mixture. Cool. Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in 1/4 cup sugar; beat until stiff and glossy.

Gently fold beaten egg whites into pumpkin mixture. Pour over bake mixture and refrigerate. Just before serving, beat whipping cream and 1 tablespoon sugar in chilled bowl until stiff. During last minutes of beating, add vanilla.

To serve, cut dessert into squares. Garnish with whipped cream.

By Robin from Washington, IA

Editor's Note: This recipe does contain uncooked eggs.

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Sauerkraut Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. bacon, cut in small pieces
• 1 medium size onion, chopped
• 1 can sauerkraut
• 1 can tomatoes
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

Saute bacon and onions until tender. Combine all ingredients into a casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees F for 1-1/2 hours or cook in a crockpot on low for 4-5 hours.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Springtime Lamb Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb. boneless lamb, cubed
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• generous dash pepper
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 cans mushroom gravy (10oz. size)
• 1 pkg. frozen lima beans, thawed
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. dried mint flakes
• 4 carrots, cut up
• 12 small white pearl onions

Directions:

Season lamb with salt and pepper. Brown in butter. Add gravy, water, and mint. Cook over low heat 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add carrots and onions and simmer 45 minutes. Add lima beans and cook 15 minutes longer. Serves 6.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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