ThriftyFun Recipes - January 9, 2009

Thank you Elena, Sherri, Janet, Raymonde, Robin, Cheryl, Terri and Lisa for today's tips and recipes!

Have a great weekend!

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The ThriftyFun Team

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Recipe Requests:

• George Foreman Jr. Rotisserie Manual
• Fudge Came Out Gritty
• Using Silicone Bakeware
• Scorched Taste in Cheese Soup
• Microwave Peanut Patties Recipe
• Frozen Veggies Have Freezer Flavor

Today's Food Tips:

• Cooking While Your Kitchen is Being Built
• Craft: Gingerbread Houses
• Use A Mini Binder For Organizing Recipes

Today's Contest Recipes:

• Mom's Brown Rice and Greens Casserole
• Sole Fillets With Dill
• Easy 5 minute Non-Dairy Peanut Butter Fudge
• Fudgy Brownie Cookies
• Cinnamon Pineapple

Robins's Recipe Corner:

• Quick Cherry
• Sauerkraut Dressing
• Guinea Grinders
• Disappearing Brownies
• Pronto Pups
• Vegetarian Marinara

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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George Foreman Jr. Rotisserie Manual

I am looking for instructions for a Baby George Foreman Rotisserie.

Nanette

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Fudge Came Out Gritty

I always made the Never Fail Fudge on the back of the marshmallow fluff container. They changed the recipe and my fudge came out gritty. Any ideas or recipes for smooth easy fudge?

Kelly from NH

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Using Silicone Bakeware

I would like to know if anyone has had any experience with the silicone bakeware. I had a loaf pan given to me, but with no instructions. Do you have to grease it at all? Does the food you bake come out easily or break into pieces? I'd kinda like to get a muffin tin if they would come out OK. I would appreciate any info!

Barb from Liberal, MO

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Scorched Taste in Cheese Soup

How do I get rid of the scorched taste in my cheese soup?

indynan from Indianapolis

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Microwave Peanut Patties Recipe

Does anyone have an easy recipe for microwave peanut patties?

Vicki from Lubbock, Texas

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Frozen Veggies Have Freezer Flavor

Is there any nifty way to remove the freezer flavor that sometimes gets into frozen veggies? Thanks!

Stephanie from Anchorage, Alaska

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Cooking While Your Kitchen is Being Built

We are building a home and we haven't completed our kitchen. This has been a challenge with the cold weather as I have no oven. My indoor cooking consists of a microwave. You have to be pretty organized to complete a hot meal.

We have moved our gas grill onto porch (right by front door with the cold). It also has a gas burner. I use the burner during day while light out and make a big pot of soup sometimes. Almost anything you can cook in an oven, you can do on the gas grill. What we do is put bricks (leftover from building fireplace) on the grill and put food in dish on bricks.

Last night we had chicken thighs in bake pan with marinade, with roasted potatoes. Yum! Another tip is sink. I won't have a sink for a bit and I kept going out to motor home to wash dishes. We put in a $30 laundry sink where the sink will go and I will use it for gardening when I get a "real" sink.

Source: My smart husband.

By Sherri from Lyle, WA

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Craft: Gingerbread Houses

Here is a great tradition that our family has been doing for years now. It all started about 50 years ago when I decide to make a gingerbread house for Christmas. My first ones were fairly simple but over the years have gotten more complicated and quite intricate. Now, as was bound to happen, the kids and grandkids and even my great grandson have taken over. I still do the bases for the houses but my son has even taken some of that construction over. The best part is that we have so much fun together. It's thrifty too cause we save the uneaten Halloween candy for some of the decorations. Here are some samples of their beautiful handiwork.

By Janet from Long Island NY

Editor's Note: We were unable to get these pictures up before Christmas but wanted to share them as inspiration for next year.

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Use A Mini Binder For Organizing Recipes

I try to plan dinners in advance by choosing recipes and listing needed ingredients on a shopping list. The shopping list is always written on a sticky note and attached to a first insert (card stock) of my mini binder (7x4.5 inches) which is always with me in my purse.

I attach the sticky note to a handle of a shopping cart at a grocery store. I put the recipes I am shopping for in the same binder in Ziploc sandwich bags. The recipes stay in the binder till I have time to prepare it. The protector gives some durability to the magazine clippings and also protects from the kitchen grease when I am actually cooking (I attach the Ziploc bag with a recipe to my refrigerator with a magnet).

By Elena from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

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Mom's Brown Rice and Greens Casserole

Ingredients

• Quick cook brown rice (approx 3 cups for 6 servings of 2/3 cup each)
• 8 oz. frozen Brussels sprouts
• 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper
• Approx. 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Directions

Prepare quick prep brown rice (any brand will do) enough for 6 servings, which is typically 3 cups of dry rice and 2 1/2 cups of water.

After the rice has cooked and is sitting for the 5 minutes or so for the water to absorb, take out an 8 oz (approx) bag of Brussels sprouts from the freezer. Defrost the sprouts in the microwave.

After they have defrosted, use a quick chopper or food processor to shred the defrosted sprouts. Only pulse until the leaves have all separated from the sprouts.

Remove rice from pot, dump into a casserole dish, dump shredded Brussels sprouts into the rice-mix to combine. Top with approx. 3/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with foil.

Bake covered at 375 degrees F for approx 20 minutes, then remove the foil, add several pats of butter or margarine, and bake uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

Stir, Serve and Enjoy!

By Cheryl from Maryland

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Sole Fillets With Dill

Ingredients

• 4 sole fillets about 1/2 lb. each
• 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• Half slice of toasted whole wheat bread
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
• 2 tsp. butter
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp. coarsely grated lemon rind
• 2 lemon wedges

Directions

Pat fillets dry. Spread mayonnaise over broad half of each fillets. Season with salt and pepper.

In food processor, process toast into crumbs. Add dill, butter, garlic and lemon rind; process until garlic is finely minced. Sprinkle over seasoned half of fillets. Fold narrow end of filletsover crumb mixture to form roll. Arrange in greased shallow 8 -inch ovenproof dish.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork. Garnish with lemon wedges.

By Raymonde from North Bay, Ontario

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Easy 5 minute Non-Dairy Peanut Butter Fudge

A big hit with everyone, not too sweet!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup margarine
• 1 cup natural peanut butter (100% peanuts, no added sugars or salt!)
• 2 cups icing sugar

Directions

Melt margarine in a saucepan, take off heat and mix in peanut butter till blended. Then add a bit of icing sugar at a time till well blended. Place in a 9x9 inch pan, pat down and chill for an hour or less. Cut in small squares.

Lisa from Halifax, NS

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Fudgy Brownie Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. instant coffee granules
• 1 Tbsp. boiling water
• 1/4 cup butter melted
• 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup baking cocoa
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

In a mixing bowl, beat egg, egg white and sugar. In a small bowl, dissolve coffee granules in boiling water. Add the coffee, butter and corn syrup to egg mixture; mix well. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add the egg mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray. Drop batter by tablespoonful onto prepared baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until set. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

By Raymonde from North Bay, Ontario

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Cinnamon Pineapple

Ingredients

• 2 bags of Brachs 'Red Hots' cinnamon candies
• 2 (20 oz.) cans pineapple chunks (reserving liquid from 1 can)

Directions

In a saucepan, mix the pineapple juice & both bags of cinnamon candies. Bring to a medium heat, stirring candies till dissolved. Put both cans of drained pineapple into the saucepan with liquid. Mix well. Refrigerate and allow pineapple to soak up liquid. Stir before serving. Can serve hot or cold.

Source: From my friend, Kathy.

By Terri from NV

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Quick Cherry

Ingredients

• 1 can cherry pie filling, chilled
• 1 can chunk pineapple, chilled
• 2 bananas, sliced
• 1 cup grapes
• few nuts
• 1 cup orange, sliced, chunks

Directions

Mix first 3 ingredients (drain pineapple). Add any or all of rest ingredients. (Or anything that sounds good.) Dish and serve.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Sauerkraut Dressing

Ingredients

• 2 boxes Stove Top dressing, chicken flavored
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 large can sauerkraut, undrained
• sprinkle with sugar ( to taste)
• 2/3 cup onion
• 2/3 cup celery
• sprinkle with sage (to taste)

Directions

Follow the directions to make the dressing, using real chicken broth and real butter. Mix in the undrained sauerkraut and sprinkle with sugar to cut the tartness of the kraut. Mix in the onions, celery, and sprinkle with sage to taste. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

For a single batch, cut the recipe in half.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Guinea Grinders

Ingredients

• 2 packages. hot Italian sausage rolls (Jimmy Dean)
• 1 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 can tomato soup
• as many banana, cayenne, jalapeno and green peppers as desired, diced
• 2 loaves Italian bread
• 2 lbs. shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Brown the sausage and beef together. Drain the grease off. Add the tomato soup, onion, peppers and any other seasonings you may want to add. Simmer for 45 minutes. Cut the loaves of bread in half. Spread cheese over the top halves and melt in the oven for microwave. Spread meat mixture over the bottom halves of the bread. Put the halves together and slice into sandwiches. Serve with salad and plenty of water!

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Disappearing Brownies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg

Directions

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and vanilla. Then gradually add dry ingredients. Spread batter into slightly greased 8x10 inch baking pan. Batter will be thick. Bake 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes. Will be gooey.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Pronto Pups

Ingredients

• 1 lb. hot dogs, dried and floured (keep cool)
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup cream of wheat
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp. oil

Directions

Mix ingredients. Dip hot dogs and fry in 4 inches of oil at 375 degrees F until done.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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Vegetarian Marinara

Ingredients

• olive oil (small amount)
• 1 medium green pepper, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 10 oz. can stewed tomatoes
• 12 oz. can tomato paste
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1/12 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 can mushrooms, opt. (4 oz.)
• 1 package spaghetti, rotini, or any other kind of noodle

Directions

In a large saucepan, with a small amount of olive oil, saute' the onion and green pepper, until the onion is translucent. Add the stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, garlic, oregano, parsley and sugar. Add the mushrooms toward the end of cooking time. Cover and simmer, over low heat, for 1 hour or longer. Serve with drained, cooked spaghetti, rotini, or other noodle. Can be frozen in airtight containers and put in the freezer.

By Robin from Washington, IA

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