Crock Pot Wednesdays

Visit Dining with Debbie for Crock pot Wednesdays for more recipes!

Crock pot Lasagna

12oz box lasagna noodles(uncooked)

1 jar Spaghetti Sauce(or homemade)

1 12oz bag Mozzarella(I use more)

1 small container ricotta(I omit, husband doesn't like)

1 pound ground beef

Brown ground beef and drain. Add spaghetti sauce and stir. Add sauce to bottom of crock pot followed by a double layer of noodles(I have to break mine in half). If using ricotta add it next followed by mozzarella. Keep layering in that order until all ingredients are used. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. I use a crock pot liner to make cleanup a snap!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

If you watch Rachel Ray then you know she uses a garbage bowl while cooking for all the trash. I use a plastic grocery bag instead. I just hang it on one of my drawer pulls and fill it as I cook.

If I am peeling potatoes or carrots I lay a plastic bag flat in the sink and peel the veggies right on the bag. When finished I pick it up by the four corners and throw it right in the trash. I used to use my garbage disposal for peelings, but once my drain got clogged doing that so I started using the bag.

Check out other tips at Tammy's Recipes

Menu Plan Monday

This my first time posting on Menu Plan Monday. I normally just fly by the seat of my pants. Organization does not come naturally for me...I have to work at it! So, in an effort to save money, organize my shopping and know before 4pm what I'm serving for dinner that night, I'm going to plan my menu for the week. Here goes:

Monday:Marinated Pork Chops,Broiled Potatoes,Applesauce

Tuesday: Baked Flounder, Sweet Potato Fries, hush puppies

Wednesday: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Thursday: Roasted Tomato Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches

Friday: Mexican Meatloaf (in the freezer) Mac & Cheese, green beans

Saturday: Spaghetti and Garlic Bread

Sunday: Hot Dogs and chips

Check out other menu plans at Orgjunkie.com

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

When mixing meatloaf, rolling up meatballs, or just shaping sausage patties to fry for breakfast wet your hands. Wetting your hands before playing in ground meat keeps the meat from sticking to them so much and makes them easier to wash afterwards. Check out other kitchen tips at Tammy's Recipes.

Quick and Easy Meal

I ideally like to cook from scratch, but in a pinch I have a few quick helpers in that I like to keep on hand when I need to whip up something fast.

Bush's Chili Magic is just one of those qick fix meals. It is stocked on the canned bean isle in the grocery store. It has the beans and all the spices, you just add ground beef and a can of tomatoes. It is relatively inexpensive too at only around
0.79-0.89 for a can.

If you have ground beef crumbles in the freezor, the meal comes together even faster. Does anyone else have a quick fix meal they could share?

Free cookbook

I use my crock pot a few times a month. In an effort to increase it's usefulness, I went looking around on the web for new recipes specificly to cook in it. I found this free downloadable crock pot cookbook in the process at Easy Crock Pot Recipes. They will send you other free cookbooks and tips and tricks via email when sign up, but you can cancel anytime.

Sweet Treat

I tried a new(to me) treat last night.
Sugared Pecans are yummy!



I snuck in a picture of banana nut
bread made in the bread machine.

The bread machine was smoking
because I also used it to make this
french bread. This was the first
time I've ever attempted french
bread and the man said it looked
like it came from a bakery. I love
him! I think the eggwash brushed on
top gave it professional touch.


Now I'd never even heard of a baguette
pan until I read it in the recipe for this
french bread. Of course, I had to be
creative so I put the 2 long round loaves
in a 9X13 glass Pyrex and put each
loaf against the long walls and placed a
Pyrex meatloaf pan between the loaves.
Now when the loaves started to rise
they rose up and not out! I never knew
this bread was so easy to make. I will
definitely be making this for my MIL.
She luuuves bread.

Turkey Stock attempt

I am attempting to make a turkey stock as I write this. I've never done

this before so I hope it turns out okay, as I want to make a turkey and veggie

soup out of the stock. What went into the pot:

Turkey bones with a little meat on them

1 whole clove

1 clove garlic

1 roughly cut carrot(no need to peel)

1 roughly chopped onion

a little dried parsley

a little dried thyme

a bay leaf

1/2 pot of water

Simmer at least 4 hours and strain the broth. I would have added

celery, but I didn't have any.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Party Potatoes

Traditionally, people serve sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving, but my family always asks for Party Potatoes on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here's the recipe

Party Potatoes

• 8-10 medium potatoes
• 1 8oz. cream cheese
• 1 8oz. carton sour cream
• 1/3 cup dried chives
• 4 Tbsp. Butter
• salt and pepper to taste

Peel, chop and boil potatoes until fork tender(about 30 minutes). Mash potatoes and add cream cheese, sour cream, chives, salt and pepper and beat with mixer until smooth. Dot with butter. Transfer to casserole dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Men really love this recipe. Enjoy!

Chicken Broccoli Lo Mein

I made this yummy dish for Dinner tonight. It was cheap and easy, two of my favorite things. I added an onion to mine, but green onions would have been good too.

Creative Veggie Steamer

We have all been told that steaming vegetables is the best way to retain all the nutrients and vitamins in the vegetables we eat. I want to start feeding my family more vegetables this way, but I do not have a steamer basket or an electric steamer. I have seen them at yard sales and thrift stores and will pick one up when I come across one again. Until the, do I not make steamed veggies? No, I found a frugal alternative. How, you ask? Bring a small amount of water to a boil in a saucepan and add loosely rolled balls of aluminum foil to the pan. Lay the cut up vegetables on the foil and cover the pan. Steam 2-5 minutes until desired softness and your healthy steamed vegetables are ready to serve! Works for me!

For other great ideas check out Rocks in my Dryer.

Sweet Iced Tea!

I am a southern gal and southern gals(and guys for that matter) love sweet tea. I make my sweet tea by the gallon because our family drinks about that much daily. I used to boil the water on the stove, but since a friend shared with me that she heats her water in the microwave I've adopted that method. I fill a gallon pitcher half full of water and place it the microwave for five minutes. Drop in three family sized tea bags. My personal favorite is Lipton brand, but I buy what is on sale. Let the tea steep for about 10 minutes then squeeze them and discard. Add 1 to 1/2cups of sugar depending on your taste and stir to dissolve. Fill the pitcher to the brim with water and stir again. Enjoy over ice!

Banana Cake?

My friend brought this delightful cake to work for us a couple weeks ago and I got the recipe from her last night. I am baking it as I type. I have had banana bread, muffins, cream pie, and pudding, but never cake. One word can only describe this cake:YUMMY!

Banana Cake

*1 Box Yellow Cake Mix

*1 Cup ripe Bananas-mashed

*1 Cup Sour Cream

*3 eggs

*1/4 cup Oil

Blend all sour cream and bananas together well.

Add all other ingredients and blend on medium

speed for 2 minutes. Pour in a 9X13 greased and

floured pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven

for 35 minutes.

Icing

*1 stick of Butter

*8 oz Cream Cheese

*1 16oz bag Powdered Sugar

Blend together well and spread over cake.

My friend made her cake in 2 9in. round pans. The actual recipe instructs to cut the 9X13 cake into two squares and frost that way. I personally liked the cake by itself because it is soooooo moist, so I will just sprinkle some powdered sugar on mine. Okay, I just pulled it out of the oven and it smells heavenly!