ThriftyFun Recipes - March 18, 2009

Vol. 8, Num. 54, March 18, 2009 (Read It Online) Thank you Deeli, Raymonde, Robin, Lisa, Sandra, June, Stella, Bobbie and Karen 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: Ideas for Bland Stir-Fry Today's Food Tips: Reviving Your Limp Celery and Carrots Use Small Bow Tie Pasta for Picky Eaters Brown Bag Bananas And Store In The Fridge Today's Contest Recipes: Vietnamese Coconut n' Corn Fried Spring Rolls Egg Drop Napa Cabbage Soup Tarragon Tuna Salad Chocolate Crescent Rolls Big Mac Sauce Robins's Recipe Corner: Onion-Beef Macaroni Casserole Barbecued Beef Short Ribs Imperial Salad Freeze Slow Cooker Clam Chowder Ginger Cookies 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: Ideas for Bland Stir-Fry I recently made stir-fry from a recipe. It was pretty simple: tofu, onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and basil. I stir-fried it for about 15 minutes. The consistency was pretty good, a tiny bit on the dry side. But the taste was bland. I've made stir-fry in the past with similar results. What can I do to make my stir-fry tastier? Snoozealarm from Beer Sheva, Israel Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf43469968.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: Reviving Your Limp Celery and Carrots I had some celery in my fridge which had gone really soft and limp. I was complaining about it to a friend (since it was almost an entire stalk!) and he told me that the celery was just dehydrated and it was easy to get it back to its original state. Just cut the bottom of the stalk, then use a pitcher or vase, fill with water and put your celery in. Within a few days it will be crisp again! This can also be done with carrots (bottom part at the bottom of the pitcher). I will definitely try it with other veggies. :) Source: Tip from a friend. By Lisa from Halifax, NS Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf23684800.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Use Small Bow Tie Pasta for Picky Eaters Children are greatly affected by "shapes" of their food. The smaller bow tie pasta is great way to encourage them to eat. Get creative and serve food in different sizes and shapes for those picky eaters! By Sandra S. from Alto, LA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf67232885.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Brown Bag Bananas And Store In The Fridge When buying bananas, buy the green ones. Put them in the fridge in a brown paper bag. Make sure you take them apart one by one. No need to buy green bags, this works much better and adds the shelf life. You will be surprised. June from Herkimer NY Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf11613978.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Today's Contest Recipes: Vietnamese Coconut n' Corn Fried Spring Rolls These fried spring rolls are a specialty from Quang Ngai, Viet Nam. Although the combination sounds strange, they taste great. Growing up as a little kid in Quang Ngai, my husband used to love to eat these. As he grew older, his mother taught him how to make this special dish. Give them a try and I hope you enjoy them. Ingredients 3 ears of corn 1 cup grated coconut 1 bunch of green onions Rice Paper 1 teaspoon fish sauce 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon salt 1 bulb of garlic 1 Shallot Garnish (optional) 1 head of Lettuce 1 Cucumber 1 Tomato Directions With a vegetable peeler cut the corn off from the cob, letting all the liquid and pieces fall into a bowl. Poke a hole in the coconut with a nail and let the liquid drain out. When all the liquid has drained wrap the coconut in a towel and smash it with a hammer to open it. Pop out the flesh from the hard shell you may have to peel off the dark exterior. Grate the coconut with a cheese grater. Add 1 cup of graded coconut to the bowl with the corn. Add 1 tsp. fish sauce, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper and stir the contents. Wash the green onions, cut off the majority of the green part and set aside (to use as garnish). Cut the remaining parts into about 1 inch pieces. Mince the shallot and garlic. Heat an oiled pan on low heat. Sauté the minced shallot and garlic until lightly golden. Once the shallot and garlic is golden add the rest of the ingredients and raise the heat to medium. Stir constantly for about a minute. Let cool. Take one piece of rice paper at a time and soak in warm water until it just starts to get soft. Lay on a cutting board. Take one tablespoon full of the cooled corn and coconut mixture and place in the middle of the wrapper, add one piece of green onion and wrap it all up tightly like an eggroll. (Do this by folding in the left and right sides of the wrapper towards the middle so they meet. Then fold the bottom half up and try and tuck it under the mixture so it is tight and then roll the rest of the way). Place the roll on a plate and continue on to making another piece of rice paper soft. Continue until all the spring rolls are wrapped. Heat a deep edged pan with about 1-2 inches of oil. Fry each of the rolls until golden brown. Prepare the serving plate with washed lettuce covering the bottom of the plate and arranging sliced tomato and cucumber around the edges. Place the fried spring rolls on the plate in a nice arrangement. Dip in fish sauce dipping sauce or any other type of dipping sauce you would like. Such as plum, peanut or soy sauce. By Stella Rivet and Viet Bui Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf58881236.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Egg Drop Napa Cabbage Soup Ingredients 4 cups chicken broth or stock 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 green onions, finely chopped 1 cup Napa cabbage, finely chopped or julienne 1/4 tsp. pepper Salt to taste A few drops of sesame oil, optional Directions In a wok or saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the pepper, salt, and sesame oil. Heat broth for about one more minute. Slowly and evenly pour in the eggs and gently stir the egg for another minute. Garnish with green onion and Napa cabbage, stir and serve. For a thicker soup add and mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/2 cup water just before adding the beaten egg. Source: I was thinking of different ways besides salad to use the 'Garden: Kitchen Cabbage' growing tip posted by ShellyE last week. ;-) By Deeli from Richland, WA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf37929161.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Tarragon Tuna Salad Ingredients 2 cans (6 ounces each) light water packed tuna, drained and flaked 1 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion 1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise 2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. minced fresh tarragon or 1/4 tsp. dried tarragon 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard 1/4 tsp. white pepper lettuce leaves, optional Directions In a small bowl, combine the tuna, celery and onion. Combine the mayonnaise, parsley, lemon juice, tarragon, mustard and pepper. Stir into tuna mixture. Serve on lettuce leaves if desired. Source: A friend B. Moss By Raymonde G. from North Bay, Ontario Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf71528975.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Chocolate Crescent Rolls Ingredients 2 oz. bittersweet chocolate 1 (4 count ) package crescent rolls 1 egg yolk 1 Tbsp. milk 2 Tbsp. sugar Directions Cut chocolate into 4 pieces about 3 inches long. Unfold the crescent rolls. Place 1 piece of chocolate at the wide end of each piece of dough and roll up. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Mix egg, milk, sugar in small bowl. Brush on top of the rolls, and bake according to crescent rolls baking instructions. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Source: I made these for Valentine's dinner and they were wonderful. I found the recipe in the February 2009 issue of Living magazine which is mailed out to the Lake Ray Hubbard area. By Bobbie from Texas Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf57701049.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Big Mac Sauce Ingredients 1 cup Miracle Whip 1/3 cup Sweet Pickle Relish 1/3 cup Kraft French Dressing 1 Tbsp. Sugar 2 Tbsp. Minced Onion 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper Directions Combine all ingredients together mixing well. Store refrigerated for several hours to allow the flavors to blend. By Karen N from Clemmons, NC Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf44197838.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Robin's Recipe Corner: Onion-Beef Macaroni Casserole Ingredients 1 1/2 lb. hamburger 1 pkg. onion soup mix 1 Tbsp. flour 1 small can tomato sauce 2 cups water 2 cups cooked macaroni and 1 cup raw macaroni 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese Directions Brown meat. Add all ingredients, except macaroni and cheese. Simmer 5 minutes. Stir in the macaroni. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees F. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf35664512.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Barbecued Beef Short Ribs Ingredients 2 Tbsp. shortening 4 lb. short ribs (beef) 1 pkg. onion soup mix 1/4 cup wine vinegar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 cup ketchup 1/2 cup water 1 Tbsp. mustard 1/2 cup celery, diced 1 Tbsp. salt Directions Heat shortening in Dutch oven. Brown ribs. Combine ingredients. Pour sauce over meat. Cover and simmer 2 hours, turning occasionally. Refrigerate covered. Next day, remove solid fat on the surface. Reheat and serve with rice. Serves 5. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf35480845.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Imperial Salad Freeze Ingredients 2 large ripe bananas 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 2 Tbsp. chopped maraschino cherries 2 cups sour cream, softened 1/2 cup chopped pecans (opt.) Directions Mash bananas with fork. Blend in other ingredients and stir well. Pour into glass Pyrex dish (1 1/2 qts.). Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving, for ease of cutting into squares. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf47466924.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Slow Cooker Clam Chowder Ingredients 1 can minced clams 1 can cream of celery soup 1 can New England clam chowder soup 1 can potato soup 1 pt. half and half 1 stick butter (not margarine) Directions Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Serves 4. I double for 5-6 people. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf49517925.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Rate It: | Print Ginger Cookies Ingredients 3/4 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 4 Tbsp. molasses 1/4 tsp. salt 1 egg 2 cups flour 3 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. ginger 1/2 tsp. cloves Directions Grease a cookie sheet. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add the molasses, salt, and egg and blend well. In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Blend into the creamed mixture. Shape the dough into small balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake in 350 degree F oven for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf29302975.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.