Recipes

Chicken N' Dumplings with a Twist

$Budget Friendly Recipe$

       While exploring new ways to exploit my own dumplings recipe, my girlfriend and I decided to hit the produce section of the local grocery store and experiment on some variations.  This is what we came up with (which might be even better and healthier than the previous version of our dumpling recipe).

Things We Need:

1. 1/2 pound of chicken or turkey meat, shredded
2.  2 cups of flour
3.  teaspoon (tsp) of salt
4.  fresh fennel, the bulb roughly chopped, with the green leafy part plucked into a separate pile
5.  green onion, chopped
6.  large sweet onion, chopped
7.  32oz. of vegetable broth
8.  1/2 tablespoon (tbsp) of basal or other choice seasonings

    First, make the dough by combining the two cups of flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl with 1 cup of water, and add water as needed to make the dough just a bit sticky.  Set that to the side.  Next, heat up the broth on the stove under a medium heat, uncovered, until it starts to slightly boil.   Add the chicken, fennel and sweet onion to the broth so that it can boil down and soften.  Let the pot sit for about 7-8 minutes at a light boil.  Then add the green onion, the leafy part of the fennel and any other seasonings. Now grab the bowl of dough and start breaking off small chunks about the size of a quarter or half dollar and dropping them into the broth, until all of the dough has been used.  Let it boil for another 15 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.  Let it sit to cool for a few minutes, then serve.

  I hope you enjoy this, and if you like my recipe, 1+ me!

Heartwarming Chili

$Budget Friendly Recipe$

    Who doesn't love chili?  This is a simple yet yummy chili that is perfect for warming the heart and tummy, and taste buds (no it isn't spicy).

Things We Need:

1.  2 standard sized cans of crushed tomatoes
2.  1 can of kidney beans
3.  1 can of garbanzo beans or chick peas
4.  1 can of black beans
5.  1/2 pound of ground meat
6.  1 1/2 tablespoons (tbsp) of brown sugar 
7.  4 oz. cream cheese, cubed

    In a sauce pan, or as some may know it, the regular sized pot with a handle (not the big one), put the ground meat into it and turn heat onto medium.  Brown and crumble meat, then drain the fat out.  next, put the pan back on the burner, and add both cans of the crushed tomatoes, do not drain.  Then, add the rest of the beans, with half of the liquid drained out of them.  Stir the pot to mix the ingredients, while adding the brown sugar and cream cheese. Before the chili comes to a boil would be the best time to add any additional spices or herbs to enhance the flavor to your taste.  Let the chili boil for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to make sure the cream cheese melts properly and to let all the flavors mix.  When your watering mouth can't take it anymore, let the chili cool for a few minutes and serve.

  I hope you enjoy this, and if you like my recipe, 1+ me!

Dumplings

$Budget Friendly Recipe$

 

    As you can see, the current trend of my recipes are budget friendly.  This is because that is what we use ourselves with our budget challenged household.  Today we will learn about how to make an awesome dumpling soup that is again, fairly cheap and can feed at least 4 people, or 2 with plenty of left overs.

 Things We Need:

1.  2 cups of flour, white
2.  1 1/2 cups of water 
3. 1 teaspoon (tsp) of salt
4. 1 can of chicken broth
5. 1 can of vegetable broth
6. 1 can of beef broth
7. 1/2 pound of ground turkey or beef
8. 2 packets of white pepper gravy (same gravy used on biscuits and gravy)
9. fresh ground pepper
10. basal or other preferred seasonings

    Okay the first thing we need to do is get a standard sized pot ready to boil up the broth.  Go ahead and put the broth into the pot, and let it heat up on low, or you can wait until you are done with the next step before you turn on the heat.  To be honest, we used these different kinds of broth because that was all we had available for our use at the time, and the recipe turned out wonderful so we kept the mixture as part of the official recipe.
    Next, combine the flour, salt, and 1 cup of water together in a mixing bowl until the flour soaks up all of the water and becomes dough like.  Continue to add water and mix it into the dough until the dough has a slightly wet texture to it.  Once you have a big ball of dough, begin picking off pieces of it and with your fingers (you may want to put flour on your hands so the dough does not stick to them), flatten them out into about a quarter or half dollar sized pieces.  It doesn't have to be perfect or have smooth edges or anything.  That isn't important.  While you rip the entire ball of dough into those quarter sized pieces, pile em up on a plate.  Once you are done, make sure your broth gets to a nice boil going.  One at a time, drop the dough pieces into the broth.
    This is a good time to throw in those seasonings and let them marinate with the broth before the thickeners get into the mix.  I used a large pinch of sweet basil and fresh ground pepper, which is something we always have on hand, as we love our seasonings and spices here.  You of course, can flavor to taste with any preferred seasonings of your choice.  I never tried curry, but that could be an option too!
    While the dumplings are cooking up in the broth, heat up a pan and brown up (cook) some ground turkey or beef into smallish crumbles.  I prefer turkey because I get it cheaper than beef and it is healthier.  I also really like the taste.  When the meat is done cooking, add it to the broth.
    Grab those two packets of gravy and go ahead and add em to your broth as well, but don't just dump them in.  Slowly pour em into the pot while mixing at the same time.  It will clump up at first, but give it time and keep mixing.  When your arm gets tired, look into the pot and it should be fairly well mixed in by now.
    At this point, I would suggest letting the pot sit under low heat for another 10 minutes, giving it a chance to blend all of the flavors before serving.  Once you are done, let it sit and cool down just a tad bit before distributing this tasty dish to your family.

   I hope you enjoy this, and if you like my recipe, 1+ me!

Thanksgiving for 2-4 People on a Budget

$Budget Friendly Recipe$

    So this year, Yolena and I were not able to celebrate Thanksgiving proper, as we were away from family, short on funds, and she just went through a semi-major surgery that left a hole in her back side big enough to fit a few golf balls in.  So the holiday spirit was not with us that day.  Well, recently, we decided to do our own Thanksgiving on a budget, and ended up spending only about $6 on the two of us, and had leftovers for the next day.  I wont go through all of the directions, as each box will have its own set of directions, but I will point you in the right direction of eating this meal on a small budget.

1. Turkey- we found a box of frozen turkey in gravy for about $2.50 at Kroger/ Fry's.  It was just a bit over a pound in weight, but most of that weight was gravy unfortunately.  But for the two of us, it was enough turkey for our meal.
2. Gravy- there is enough gravy in the frozen turkey for the whole meal.  Don't bother making any additional gravy.  You won't need it.
3. Stuffing- Stove top, it's about $1.50, give or take, when it is on sale.
4. Smashed/ mashed Potatoes- The instant stuff is about $1 per a pouch of it, which should be enough for 2-4 people as a side dish.
5. Cranberry Sauce- again, its around $1 for a can of it.  I prefer the cranberries in the sauce, not the jellied one.  That one seems a little too artificial for my taste.

And there you go!  Its nothing special, but perfect for the budget challenged individual who is going through tough times, as all of us have at one point or another.


   I hope you enjoy this, and if you like my recipe, 1+ me!

Chicken Parmesan

$Budget Friendly Recipe$ 

    An old classic that many people love the taste of, but sometimes do not want to go through the hassle of making.  Well today, lets change that for those on a tight budget.  True, this is probably not the best choice for the healthy conscious, but when you are trying to feed a family and only have a few bucks left at the end of the week, this might be an delicious choice to consider.  I have seen this dish go for as high as around $15 at sit down restaurants, but today we can feed the whole family for less than that.  So lets start with what we will need for this recipe.

Things we need:

1.  Frozen chicken patties ( I found a 3lb bag at Kroger/ Fry's for a little less than $5)
2. Pasta/ spaghetti sauce, usually 1 jar will be enough
3. Parmesan cheese (I know this is not always the most cost friendly of cheeses, but I found that cheddar or mozzarella cheese works great too)

And now to cook it up!

On a cookie sheet, preferably lined with foil:

• Place chicken patties on the sheet
• Preheat oven to the temperature stated on the box or bag of the chicken patties
• pour just enough sauce to cover each patty with a thick layer
• Sprinkle or pile desired amount of cheese on each patty
• Let it cook for the time stated on the box or bag of the chicken patties

 leave it in for a few more minutes if you like a little crisp to your cheese.  On a few side notes, I really like the pasta sauce that comes with garlic.  I feel it gives the sauce a great taste, but that is just my own preferences.  Also, don't forget to serve with a side dish, like some bread and a vegetable.  I know I have found some microwavable vegetables for about $1 each at Kroger/ Fry's in the frozen section and I'll cook two of those up, and serve them along side my dish.

   I hope you enjoy this, and if you like my recipe, 1+ me!

Tuna Salad

$Budget Friendly Recipe$

    So today I made my famous tuna with a little twist.  I created my masterpiece without the regular comfort of miracle whip.  I am not a huge fan of any sort of mayo, but I do like a little zesty touch of miracle whip on occasion, like in my tuna.  I believe in one of my earlier blogs I said I would pass on my recipe so here it is.


    IN A BOWL

•     Two Cans of Tuna in water, most of the water drained
•     1/4 cup of sweet relish
•     1 TBSP of mustard, or more to taste
•     1/2 of medium onion, finely chopped
•     2 eggs, hard boiled and chopped or sliced as desired
•     1/2 TBSP lemon juice
•     1/8 - 1/4 cup of your favorite nuts or seeds, chopped accordingly (I prefer un-shelled sunflower seeds, no chopping necessary)

Mix thoroughly into a bowl and enjoy as a sandwich, spread, with some cheese, or even as a salad!  Its easy to make, inexpensive, and great to take to work or on the road as a quick bite to eat for later.  Of course you can adjust the recipe here to your own taste, as that is how I came up with this recipe based on my mothers own creations.  Sometimes I also like to add some lettuce or alfalfa or broccoli sprouts on top to give it a little bit of an earthy taste to it.

    I hope you enjoy this, and if you like my recipe, 1+ me!