ThriftyFun Recipes - October 29, 2009

Vol. 8, Num. 212, October 29, 2009 (Read It Online) Thanks today go to Loretta, Virginia P., ssfelts, Raymonde C. G., mother of 5, Dorty and Deeli for today's tips and recipes. Be sure to send in your own family favorites and helpful kitchen tips for a future newsletter. Submit Your Favorite Recipe! Submit a Food tip! Looking for 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: Today's Food Tips: Cheap Shower Caps for Food Covers Stretching a Hamburger Helper Meal With Spaghetti Use Sugar to Dust Your Cake Pans Today's Contest Recipes: Creamy Carrot and Turnip Soup with Savory Stir Fry With Hash Browns Hummus Deeli's Buffalo Chicken Wraps Oh My Gosh Squash Pie Robins's Recipe Corner: Five Layer Dinner Last Minute Fruit Salad Little Pizza Appetizers Sour Cream Tortillas Chocolate Sundae Dessert 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 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: Cheap Shower Caps for Food Covers This may sound like a silly tip, but this proved to be very handy when we were camping with friends once, and I found that it works equally well at home. there are times when you need to cover a dish with food in it and just do not have the proper size lid, or a way to hold a cover on it easily. Here is a solution. Go to a dollar or similar type store, and find a package of thin plastic hair caps, used when dying hair, or for various covers where access to air is not necessary. We used to buy them and there were a bunch rolled up in each of 8 rolls, i think. You will find that these will stretch over a large area when necessary, or if you need to use toothpicks to keep them up off of a frosted cake, they are light enough to do that without pressing down. They will fit over so many odd shaped things, even things with handles, and slip down over the handle, closing the area against the body of the container. We now go to a supply store for beauty shops, which we are told are quite common in any area, and get larger packs of them, and of course they are reusable, contrary to the plastic you rip off the roll and try to make stay on something. Just swish around in sudsy water, same with rinse water, and lay over a hanging towel or use a clothespin to hang up to dry. Source: A good friend and neighbor that, I believe, came up with it herself. by Loretta from Theodore, AL Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf516531.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Stretching a Hamburger Helper Meal With Spaghetti I was fixing some Beef Hamburger Helper the other night and found that I was having extra people for dinner. I fixed it as directed on the package. When the beef was browning, I took a handful of spaghetti, broke it in half and boiled it until done; drained it and set aside. When the Hamburger Helper was all done, I put the cooked spaghetti in with it. It made a whole lot more and tasted great! A good way to stretch the meals in these hard to make ends meet time. Source: An idea a friend gave me long ago. By Virginia P. from Evington, VA Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf90424116.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Use Sugar to Dust Your Cake Pans Try using sugar to dust your cake pans. This not only makes for a more moist cake, it makes clean up a breeze. The sugary residue in the pans melts quickly in warm water! By ssfelts from Tallassee, TN Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf62440469.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Today's Contest Recipes: Creamy Carrot and Turnip Soup with Savory Hot soup for the cold winter days. Ingredients: 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1/2 cup onions, chopped 1/2 cup celery, chopped 1/2 cup leeks, chopped 1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped 1 1/2 cups turnips, chopped 1 cup potatoes, chopped 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh savory or 1 tsp. dried savory 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped Salt and pepper to taste 6 cups chicken broth 1/3 cup 15% cream or low fat yogurt Directions: Heat the oil in a large saucepan and saute the onions, celery and leeks. Add the carrots, turnips, potatoes, savory and parsley; season with salt and pepper and pour in the chicken broth. Simmer for 25 minutes over low heat. Using either a food processor or an electric mixer, puree the mixture, then return it to the saucepan. Warm over low heat and add the cream or yogurt; mix well and serve. Servings: 4 to 6 Time: 20 Minutes Preparation Time 30 Minutes Cooking Time Source: The Classic cooking Book By Raymonde C. G. from North Bay, Ontario Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf61900534.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Stir Fry With Hash Browns I have never been able to get my husband to eat stir fries with rice, so in desperation started using hash browns instead. I cook the hash browns in one pan, and in another I cook a finely cut up onion and sliced mushrooms, add leftover cooked chicken or uncooked cut in smallish pieces, or thin strips of steak that have been marinated in 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1/2 cup orange juice for an hour. I've also used sausages, seasoned with a little poultry seasoning, a favorite of our son. When almost cooked I add leftover vegetables, or whatever I have on hand: carrots, snow peas, corn. When everything is cooked combine together and season with salt. This heats up fine as a leftover. By mother of 5 from Nova Scotia Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf63201387.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Hummus You can use on wholewheat biscuits or on toast. Ingredients: 250 gram chickpeas (soak overnight) 5 ml salt 3 ml ground pepper 3 cloves garlic 90 ml lemon juice 45 ml sesame seeds(toasted and crushed) Directions: Rinse the chick peas and add enough water and boil for 3 hours or till done Drain and cool. In a food processor add all the ingredients and chick peas and grind till smooth. Serve with tortillas, wholewheat biscuits or toast. Source: from a friend By Dorty from SA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking_weights_and_measures Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf378129.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Deeli's Buffalo Chicken Wraps I just love the hot stuff and try to come up with new variations :-) This is so easy! Ingredients: 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs (breasts if you prefer), diced or ground 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup Durkee or Frank's hot sauce 4 flour tortillas 2 cups lettuce, shredded 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing (My favorite is Marie's found in the produce section) Directions: Heat the butter and hot sauce in a large skillet over medium high heat. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook while stirring until the chicken is no longer pink. Drain. Place equal amounts of chicken in the center of the tortillas. Top with lettuce, dressing and wrap burrito style. By Deeli from Richland, WA Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf91879819.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Oh My Gosh Squash Pie This is a super easy "surprise" pie, and oh so good. I like it because you put everything into one bowl and pour into unbaked pie shell..very easy! I have made this recipe over and over at Thanksgiving and Christmas time. Ingredients: 1 cup cooked squash 2/3 cup sugar 3 Tbsp. flour 3/4 cup milk 1 Tbsp. butter (real butter not margarine) 2 egg yolks 1 tsp. lemon flavoring 1 unbaked pie shell Cool-whip Directions: Throw the first 6 ingredients in a pan and cook them until they are slightly thick. Add the lemon flavoring, pour it all into a pie crust and bake it at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Let cool and serve with a dollop of cool whip on top. Source: My White Trash cooking cookbook my daughter gave me many years ago. By Virginia P. from Evington, VA Contest Contender! This post is a contest contender! Read it and then Rate it: Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf48093126.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Robin's Recipe Corner: Five Layer Dinner Ingredients: bacon ground beef onion potatoes carrots salt and pepper, to taste Directions: Cover bottom of large skillet with small pieces of bacon. Make patties of ground beef and arrange over bacon. Slice onion over ground beef. Cover with sliced potatoes. Add some sliced carrots over potatoes. Season with salt and pepper (or I prefer to use Lawry's as I'm not much of a pepper person). Turn heat on and start to sizzle. Add 1/4 cup water and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf22285168.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Last Minute Fruit Salad Ingredients: 1 pkg. Dream Whip 1 can apricot pie filling 2 bananas, sliced 1 cup white cherries, drained 1 cup pineapple chunks, drained 1 can mandarin oranges, drained Directions: Prepare whipped topping according to directions on package. Fold in remaining ingredients and chill. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf62462600.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Little Pizza Appetizers Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 pkg. dry onion soup 1 can pizza sauce with cheese (10 oz.) 1 egg canned mushrooms Mozzarella cheese Directions: Brown ground beef with dry onion soup. Add pizza sauce and egg. Cook. Spread on party rye. Sprinkle chopped mushrooms and Mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until hot. It's easier to use a small slice of cheese instead of grated, but you can use either. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf65340819.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Sour Cream Tortillas Ingredients: 1 pt. sour cream 2 cans cream of chicken soup 1 can green chili peppers 1 cup boned chopped chicken 3/4 bunch green onions (use green stalks) 1 lb. grated longhorn or cheddar cheese 1 doz. tortillas Directions: Chop green chili peppers. Chop onion very fine. Heat tortillas until pliable. Mix sour cream, soup, chilies and chicken; beat slightly. Place 2 tablespoons sour cream mixture into center of each tortilla. Sprinkle with onions and grated cheese. Roll and place in greased baking dish, 9x13 inch. Top with remaining sour cream, mixture, onions and grated cheese. Bake 325 degrees F for 30 minutes. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf98450858.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | Chocolate Sundae Dessert Ingredients: 20 chocolate sandwich cookies 1/4 cup butter, melted 1 can evaporated milk 1 cup sugar 2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate 1 qt. vanilla ice cream 1 cup whipping cream, whipped 1/2 cup chopped nuts 1/4 cup sugar Directions: Crush cookies, add butter; blend well. Reserve about 1/2 cup for topping and press crumbs into a 9x13 inch pan; freeze. Combine the sugar, milk and chocolate and bring to a boil; cool. Layer softened ice cream over the frozen crumb crust. Pour cooked chocolate mixture over ice cream; refreeze. Spread sweetened whipped cream over dessert, sprinkle reserved crumbs and nuts over top. Cover pan tightly with foil and keep frozen until 15 minutes before serving. By Robin from Washington, IA Post Feedback: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf77465688.tip.html Email to a Friend | Get Responses | Bookmark | Link | Print | Rate It: | 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.