ThriftyFun Recipes - July 9, 2007

We are back! We have been getting emails from people wondering where we went. We went camping on the Oregon coast for the 4th of July holiday. The weather was great and there were no fireworks so our dog Maggie had a nice 4th of July, too.

Thank you Robin, Debra, Holly and Julia for today's recipes!

Did you make any new and exciting recipes for the 4th of July holiday? Share them at the link below.

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Thanks for reading,

Susan

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Recipe Requests:

• Rich Hummus Recipe

Today's Recipes:

• Country-Style Casserole
• Baked Bean Chili
• Cinnamon Cheese Roll-Ups
• Old Fashioned Soda Fountain Treats (Part 1)
• Chicken Dumpling Soup
• Provolone Corn Loaf
• Chicken Breast Cacciatore
• Creamy Pasta Primavera
• Marble Brownies
• Campfire Chicken Stew
• Bunny Dogs
• Buttermilk Cookies
• Rotisserie Chicken for Several Meals
• Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

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Rich Hummus Recipe

I had some of the best hummus at a restaurant that isn't sharing its recipe. It was very rich. Got any suggestions?

Holly from Richardson, TX

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Country-Style Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken or fully cooked ham
• 3 cups sliced frozen carrots, opt.

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Stir in hash browns, chicken and carrots if desired. Transfer to a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until bubbly.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Baked Bean Chili

Ingredients

• 2 lb. ground beef
• 3 cans baked beans (28oz. each)
• 1 can tomato juice
• 1 can V-8 juice (11.5oz. can)
• 1 envelope chili seasoning

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Cinnamon Cheese Roll-Ups

Ingredients

• 1 loaf (16oz.) thinly sliced white bread, crusts removed
• 1 package cream cheese (8oz) softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Directions

Flatten bread with a rolling pin. In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, egg yolk and confectioners' sugar. In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Spread about 1 Tbsp. of cheese mixture on each slice of bread. Roll up, jelly-roll style. Dip in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Old Fashioned Soda Fountain Treats (Part 1)

Close your eyes and come with me, a trip down memory lane to the place where red and white checked dreams come true. Many of us from the older generation can remember going to the local soda fountain for a burger and a shake or to have an egg cream or homemade French fries. Many were decorated with black and white floors and big old juke boxes where you could dance. For you youngsters, think "Happy Days". Many of the great recipes for our best frozen confections have been lost to us and, since I just love ice cream, it lead me to research many of the old fashioned treats of the past on the internet and in my travels.

Just about every summer, we go to Oklahoma City to visit with my son and we travel on Old Route 66. When we get hungry, we stop for food at the revived Mom and Pop diners. I don't hesitate to ask for an ice cream confection recipe if they have something I have never seen before. With the advent of frozen yogurt, many of these can be made better for you by using it. Being a purist, I love using old fashioned ice cream.

To complete your trip here are some terms you have not heard in ages, the language of your favorite soda jerk. Yes, they had their own language, calling out our orders as they made them. It was part of the fun, part of the atmosphere.

• Baby: Glass of milk
• Bottom: Ice cream in a drink
• Bucket of . . .: Several ingredients combined
• Chicago: Pineapple juice or soda
• Cow Juice: Milk
• Crash: Cookie crumbs
• Crowd Three: (Two's company, three's a crowd)
• Draw One: Coffee
• Draw One From The South: Strong coffee
• Forty-One Lemons: lemonade
• Freeze: Ice cream
• Fuzzy: Peaches
• Gravel: Nuts
• Hot Cha: Hot chocolate
• In The Hay: Strawberry milk shake
• Java: Coffee
• Mash One Strained: (mashed) banana
• Mud: Chocolate ice cream
• Natural: 7-Up
• One On The Country: Yogurt or buttermilk
• Patch: Strawberries
• Sand: Sugar
• Shake One: Milk Shake
• Spit In It: Raspberries or Blueberries
• Spit On It: Raspberries on top
• Squeeze One: Orange juice
• Through Georgia: Chocolate syrup added
• Van: Vanilla ice cream
• White Cow: Vanilla milk shake

Sodas

For frosted glasses, rinse in HOT water and place in freezer for 1/2 an hour.

Despite the name, Egg Cremes are not made with either egg or cream. Some of the recipes do call for raw egg, which we now know can be dangerous. If you clean the eggs with bleach, you can minimize your risk. Make these at your own risk.

• Cherry Coke: Into a glass filled with ice, pour 3/4 oz of Cherry syrup. Fill the glass with Coca Cola. It will take you right back to your childhood!
• Bronx Egg Creme: 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup, 5 ounces milk, 3 ounces seltzer water. Mix the chocolate syrup and milk together. While stirring, add the seltzer and continue stirring.
• Black And White: Chocolate syrup, seltzer, vanilla ice cream.
• Bodacious Black and White: Chocolate syrup, seltzer, FRENCH vanilla Ice Cream
• Canary Island Special: Vanilla Syrup, seltzer, Chocolate Ice Cream
• Black Cow: Root beer afloat with vanilla ice cream, holding the whipped cream.
• Brown Cow: Coca-Cola 1 Tablespoons Chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream
• Chocolate Soda: 3 Tbsp. chocolate syrup, 1 Tbsp. milk,1 scoop ice cream (chocolate, vanilla or other) soda water (carbonated water - not club soda) - Put the syrup and the milk into the glass. Stir well. Add the ice cream. Fill the glass with soda water. Stir again.
• Strawberry Soda (In The Hay): 1/4 cup strawberry syrup, a splash of milk, seltzer and vanilla or strawberry ice cream.
• Hoboken: 1/2 cup pineapple syrup, a splash of milk, seltzer, and chocolate ice cream.
• Boston Cooler: Dry ginger ale with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, holding the whipped cream.
• Catawba Flip: 1 scoop Vanilla Ice Cream, 1 large Egg, 2 oz. Grape Juice Shaved Ice, Seltzer - Put all the ingredients in a blender, except the seltzer, and blend until smooth. Pour into the glass and fill with seltzer water.
• Caramel Egg Cream: Into an iced filled glass, pour 1 1/2 oz. Caramel syrup. Add 4 oz COLD milk and stir. Add ice. Fill with seltzer (seltzer has no sodium), leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top of the glass. Top with 1/2 oz Vanilla syrup. Stir again.
• The Apple Blossom: 1 1/2 oz. Apple syrup; 1 tablespoon Whipped Cream or Ice Cream or 1 1/2 oz Coffee Cream and 2 dippers of Vanilla ice cream are added to a soda glass. Add carbonated water 3/4 full. Garnish with a spoon of whipped cream and a slice of fresh apple.
• The California: 3/4 oz Pineapple syrup; 3/4 oz Orange syrup; 1 tablespoon ice cream or whipped cream and 1 dipper each of Orange Sherbet and Vanilla ice cream are placed in a soda glass. Add carbonated water 3/4ths full and garnish with whipped cream and a half slice of fresh orange.
• Black Raspberry Passion: 3/4 cup sparkling water, 1/2 cup raspberry juice, 2 tablespoons almond flavored syrup, 1/2 cup frozen blackberries, 1 cup Raspberry Sorbet In blender container, combine all ingredients; blend at high speed until smooth. Serve immediately.

Next week: Shakes and Malts. Future weeks will cover sundaes and homemade toppings.

Editor's Note: What is your favorite soda fountain memory?

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Chicken Dumpling Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 3 1/3 cups milk, divided
• 1 2/3 cups biscuit/baking mix (like Bisquick)

Directions

In a 3 qt. saucepan, combine soup and 2 2/3 cups of milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat. In a bowl, combine biscuit mix with remaining milk just until blended. Drop by rounded tablespoons into simmering soup. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes longer or until dumplings test done (do not lift lid while simmering).

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Provolone Corn Loaf

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. + 1 cup cornmeal, divided
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh sage
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, opt.
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil
• 1 cup shredded provolone or mozzarella cheese

Directions

Sprinkle 2 tsp. cornmeal on the bottom and sides of a greased 8x4 inch loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sage, baking powder, salt, pepper, baking soda, cayenne if desired and remaining cornmeal. In another bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cheese. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Refrigerate leftovers.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Chicken Breast Cacciatore

Ingredients

• 1 can tomato sauce (8oz)
• 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 cup cornflake crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Cover and microwave on high for 2 minutes; stir. Cook at 50% power for 3-5 minutes or until mixture simmers, stirring once; set aside. In a bowl, combine crumbs, Parmesan and parsley. Dip chicken into egg, then roll in crumb mixture. Place in a lightly greased shallow 3 qt. microwave safe dish. Cover and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes, rotating a half turn after 5 minutes. Pour tomato mixture over chicken; sprinkle with mozzarella. Cook, uncovered, at 50% power for 3-5 minutes or until meat juices run clear.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Creamy Pasta Primavera

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 3 cup cooked spaghetti

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. Stir in spaghetti; heat through.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Marble Brownies

Ingredients

• 5 Tbsp. butter
• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1 package cream cheese (8oz)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the butter and chocolate. Cover and microwave on high for 1-2 minutes; stir until smooth. Beat in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add the flour and baking powder until blended. Spread into a greased microwaveable 8 inch square dish; set aside. In a microwaveable bowl, heat cream cheese on high for 45-60 seconds or until softened; stir until smooth. Beat in sugar, egg and vanilla. Spoon over brownie batter; cut through batter with a knife to swirl. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips. Shield corners of dish with triangles of foil. Place the dish on an inverted microwaveable saucer. Cook, uncovered, at 70% power for 11-13 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, rotating a half turn after 5 minutes. Heat on high for 1 minute. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 1 dozen. Note: Shielding with small pieces of foil prevents overcooking of food in the corners of a square or rectangular dish. Secure foil firmly to dish and do not allow it to touch insides of the oven.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Campfire Chicken Stew

Ingredients

• 1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut up
• 3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup thinly sliced carrots
• 1 medium green pepper, sliced
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions

Grill chicken, uncovered, over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side. Place two pieces of chicken each on four pieces of heavy duty foil. Divide potatoes, carrots and green pepper between the four pieces of foil. Top each with 2 Tbsp. soup, 1 Tbsp. water, salt and pepper. Fold foul around mixture and seal tightly. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 20 minutes; turn and grill 20-25 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender and chicken juices run clear.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Bunny Dogs

Just in time for 4th of July!

Basically, you take marinated carrots, pressure cook them (steaming might work) until soft and place into hot dog buns with all the fixin's (kraut, onions, mustard or whatever you prefer).

The easy recipe is one of those, "a little of this, a little of that".

Take the large size carrots (not the minis nor ones that are super woody huge), peel, cut off tops and ends, place into pressure cooker. To the pot, add 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (I use organic Tamari), glub glub worcestershire sauce, 3 heavy sprinkles garlic powder and add enough water to just cover the carrots.* Cook in pressure cooker for 2 to 3 minutes, once the third ring is showing. Unfortunately, I can't specify this exact pressure for other types of cookers, but can tell you this is the highest pressure on my cooker.

*You could add more water, but then you'd have to add more seasonings to make up the difference.

Remove from cooking liquid, put on buns, add condiments and eat. Can be left setting in the cooking liquid until dinner time with the pressurized lid off. Use the quick release on the cooker to get the lid off because these carrots cook fast and will disintegrate if left in the very hot pressurized liquid too long.

I'd like to point out that carrots don't have much protein value, so you should serve them with something hearty like beans and a green veg. And don't forget to buy buns that are healthy - look for fiber and protein!

Good recipe for people who don't like the taste of hot dogs, can't chew, don't like the taste of preservatives, like to eat healthy... My kids loved them when they were little. Still do.

I obtained this recipe from a vegetarian internet group many years back. Can't recall when nor from whom. I remember asking the poster if she had any other similar recipes. She didn't. Too bad. This one's a winner.

By Holly from Richardson, TX

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Buttermilk Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

• 3 Tbsp. butter, softened (no substitutes)
• 3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, opt.

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk and mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool. For frosting, combine butter, sugar, milk and vanilla in a mixing bowl; beat until smooth. Frost cookies; sprinkle with walnuts, if desired.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Rotisserie Chicken for Several Meals

There are only two of us so this usually goes a long way. I will buy a cooked chicken at Sam's Club and use it that evening for our first meal. I will then take all the leftover meat and cut off half of it and cube it for a pot pie.

For Two Pot Pies, use the following ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cup of cubed chicken
• two Pillsbury pie crust packages (the red box in refrigerated section of supermarkets). These come with 2 pie crusts each, one for the top crust and one for the bottom
• 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables (this is enough for 2 pies)
• 2 medium or 3 small potatoes (scrubbed and cubed),
• 2 cans of cream soups, flavor of your choice (I use cream of mushroom, cream of celery, sometimes chicken or spicy chicken, depending on my mood)
• 1 onion (I prefer vidalias)

The second half of the leftover rotisserie chicken can either be used in a chicken salad, I like curried with grapes and almonds, or boil the rest (including the bones) to be used in soup/stew. Again, our favorite is more a stew where I boil the chicken till it falls off the bones, add carrots to the chicken while it's boiling (I usually use 3/4's of a small bag of "baby carrots". I also either add fresh onion chunks or will add a jar of boiled onions at the end. Once the bones and fat and skin are all skimmed off and removed and thrown away, I then add the following: celery, frozen or fresh corn, and, depending on whether I want stew or soup, I will either add some chicken bouillon to make the broth richer or I will again use the cream soups to make it thicker and richer. I have also made it with potatoes for one style and cooked rice for another style, again depending on moods. I've also added chopped cabbage to give it another flavoring and filler. As you can see, a rotisserie chicken goes a long way.

By Julia from Richmond VA

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Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball II

Ingredients

• 1 package cream cheese, softened (8oz.)
• 1/2 cup butter, softened (no substitutes)
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
• graham crackers

Directions

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Gradually add sugars; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Place cream cheese mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap; shape into a ball. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, roll cheese ball in pecans. Serve with graham crackers.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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