ThriftyFun Recipes - May 6, 2008

Thank you Robin, Connie, Maureen, Debra, Susan, Coreen and pamphyila for today's tips and recipes!

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Susan

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Recipe Requests:

• Pressure Cooker Vs. Crock Pot
• Looking For Recipes Using Tofu
• Looking For Old Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler Recipe
• Looking For "Icing Chocolate Cake" Recipe
• Creamy Rice Pudding
• Looking For Recipes Using Dried Beans
• Lamb Curry Recipe Request

Today's Food Tips:

• Make and Freeze Unflavored Koolade
• Making Your Own Tofu
• Link: Spring Centerpieces

Today's Contest Recipes:

• Macaroni Salad Supreme
• Easy Red Beans and Rice
• Mexican-Style Deviled Eggs

Robins's Recipe Corner:

• Frozen Cherry Salad Loaf
• Bread Casserole
• Easy Meat Loaf
• Chicken Crunch
• Cucumber Salad
• Cool 'N Easy Pie

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.

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Pressure Cooker Vs. Crock Pot

Is a pressure cooker worth the investment? How does it differ from a crock pot?

Sara from Missouri

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Looking For Recipes Using Tofu

My mother is looking for recipes using tofu.

Irene from Bridgewater

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Looking For Old Fashioned Blackberry Cobbler Recipe

I'm looking for an easy blackberry cobbler recipe with a lot of dough in it. The old fashion type. Thanks.

Rolayne from Beasley, TX

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Looking For "Icing Chocolate Cake" Recipe

There was a recipe sometime back called "Make your own icing chocolate cake" and it used marshmallows on the bottom and some other ingredients before the cake was ever poured in. I missed getting it. Does anyone remember it? It might have been on Robin's Corner. Thanks

Vera from Waynesburg, Ky

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Creamy Rice Pudding

I am looking for an easy, creamy rice pudding recipe. All the recipes I have tried are too dry to enjoy. Thank you in advance for any help.

jmz2005 from Illinois

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Looking For Recipes Using Dried Beans

I know that using dried beans is more economical and that we should get more protein and fiber into our diets. I just haven't been able to find any recipes that actually look GOOD. Does anyone have any tried and true recipes that are tasty too?

Lisa from Lena

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Lamb Curry Recipe Request

I have fallen in love with curry! I have bought some red curry paste. Can anyone suggest any lamb curry recipes?

Margie from Mount Vernon, OH

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• Tip Contest
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Make and Freeze Unflavored Koolade

We are all washing out and re-using single-serving sized plastic bottles, right? Even if you never have an occasion to buy such things, your friends will gladly save them for you, if you ask.

Make 2 jugs of Koolade, one of two separate flavors. Make a gallon of each. Put sugar or sugar substitute, in one but not the other. Using the one without sugar, pour into pre-washed plastic beverage bottles to measure about one-third and then place in the freezer for 4-8 hours. Put the sweetened jug into the fridge.

Just before you are going out, take one of the bottles from the freezer and fill to the neck with the koolade from the jug in the fridge, shake and you are set to go. The beverage will stay cold longer than any drink you could stop and get in a convenience store because almost half of it is ice when you start and the sugar content lowers as the day wears on because the "ice" part wasn't sweetened. The change in taste will be gradual.

This also works well when you simply add plain drinking water to the frozen part to encourage little ones to drink more water. Flavored water is just as good as unflavored water and you don't have to mention that you didn't put sugar in the frozen part.

By Susan from WV

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Making Your Own Tofu

Someone asked about how to save money on tofu. It has been 30 years since I last made some, and I have lost the recipe. It was in a book that I no longer have, because I can't digest soy products anymore. I did an email search and found only complicated, exotic-sounding recipes. So I am going to tell you as much as I can remember. It isn't a big deal, but you will have to experiment to get the temperature right. Don't let my vagaries stop you. It only costs the price of a pound of the dry soybeans to try this out.

First, soak the soybeans overnight. Any kind of soybeans can be made to work. In the morning, they should be swelled up to about twice their original size. Put some in the blender with as little water as is necessary to keep things moving. Then turn on the blender and liquefy the beans. I think a food processor would probably work even better than a blender. Now pour the resulting liquid through a strainer that is lined with cheese cloth. Put the liquid, or milk, in a saucepan and warm it gently. When you get to about 175 degrees F or so (again, experiment because this part isn't something I'm sure about), pour in some lemon juice or vinegar. Recipes on the net also suggest Epsom salts. I suggest starting with 1/3 cup per gallon of soy milk. It should start to separate right away. Stir it in to mix it well, and then let it separate for a few minutes. Now pour this through a clean cheesecloth. Put the solids in a mold and let them drain for a couple of hours in the kitchen sink. You can use any perforated container. I used a regular colander for my mold.

And there you have it. I don't know why the recipe is so hard to find. Must be some kind of industry secret? At the time I was doing this, soybeans were cheap and easy to find in one-pound bags. They seem to have disappeared from the shelves, but health food stores might have them.

By Coreen from Rupert, ID

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Link: Spring Centerpieces

Check out this article in the epicurious website about arranging flowers with fresh fruit and herbs for the spring. What a great idea and look at the interesting containers, too.

• Spring Centerpieces

Source: www.epicurious.com

By pamphyila from Los Angeles, CA

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Macaroni Salad Supreme

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked macaroni
• 2 cups cooked/cubed chicken breast
• 1 diced tomato
• 1 diced cucumber
• 1/4 cup olives chopped
• 1/2 cup Italian Bottled Dressing
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Mix together and let set in refrigerator for 1 hour so flavors will blend! Enjoy!

Source: from my personal recipes.

By Debra from Hampton, Tennessee

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Easy Red Beans and Rice

This serves 4 hungry people.

Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet. Add 1 Kielbasa sausage that has been sliced into 1/2 inch circles, 1 chopped yellow onion, and 4 minced garlic cloves. Saute 15 minutes. Add 3 cans of kidney beans (undrained), 1 can of chicken broth, and 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper. Turn heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.

Serve with hot cooked rice and plenty of Louisiana hot sauce. Leftovers taste even better the next day!

By Maureen from Carlsbad, CA

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Mexican-Style Deviled Eggs

I originally developed this recipe for a Cinco de Mayo's BBQ for last year, and have had friends ask for the recipe. It's yummy, and I hope you enjoy these eggs as we do.This recipe can be made to serve as many as required, but is to serve two with this recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 hard-cooked eggs
• 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp. canned chopped green California chilies
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. garlic salt
• 4 tsp. medium Mexican tomato salsa (or mild)
• 1-1/2 tsp. thinly sliced green onion

Directions

Cut hard cooked eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks; set aside. In a small bowl, mash yolks. Stir in the mayonnaise, chilies, pepper, and garlic salt. Top with Mexican salsa, and onion. Refrigerate until serving.

Can top also with a slice of olive, if desired. 2 servings.

By Connie from Cotter, AR

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Frozen Cherry Salad Loaf

Ingredients

• 1 can dark, sweet cherries (16oz.)
• 1 can crushed pineapple (8oz.)
• 1 can mandarin oranges (11oz.)
• 1 pkg. cream cheese (8oz.)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions

Drain fruits. Let cream cheese stand till room temperature and then beat until fluffy and blend in sour cream, sugar, and salt. Fold in fruits, marshmallows, and pecans. Pour into 8x4 inch loaf pan and freeze 6 hours or overnight. Serves 8. Remove from freezer 30 minutes before serving.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Bread Casserole

Remove crusts from 16 slices white bread. Place 8 slices flat in buttered 9x13 inch pan. On each slice, place 1 slice Canadian bacon and 1 slice sharp cheese. Place 8 remaining slices on top. Mix together and blend well:

• 6 beaten eggs
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup onion
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can mushrooms
• 3 cups milk

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Easy Meat Loaf

Ingredients

• 1 pkg. Wyler's onion soup mix
• 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 3 slices bread, cubed
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 cup milk

Directions

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Shape in loaf and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 1/4 hours.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Chicken Crunch

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 cans chicken, diced (13 oz. size)
• 1 can water chestnuts, sliced
• 1 large can Chinese noodles
• 1 pkg. almonds (2 oz.)

Directions

Mix ingredients together and bake for 40 minutes at 325 degrees F.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

• 4 medium cucumbers, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sugar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Vinegar (enough to make a dressing that will pour)

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and keep in refrigerator until ready to serve.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Cool 'N Easy Pie

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 1 pkg. strawberry gelatin (4 serving size)
• 1/2 cup cold water
• ice cubes
• 1 cup chopped strawberries
• 1 Cool Whip, thawed (8 oz.)
• 1 ready-made graham cracker pie crust

Directions

Stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Mix cold water and ice to make 1 1/4 cups. Add to gelatin, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove any remaining ice. Stir in whipped topping with wire whisk until smooth; mix in fruit. Refrigerate 10-15 minutes or until mixture is very thick and will mound. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Garnish with additional whipped topping if desired. Store leftover pie in refrigerator.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Click Here: http://www.thriftyfun.com/post_craft.ldml

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