Cheddar and Green Onion Scones

You may wonder if this has turned into a cooking blog. It hasn't. I am just really into cooking right now. :) Especially with my crock pot. Last night I made a slow cooker cheesy potato soup and then decided to make these scones to go with. It is a Better Homes and Garden's recipe I doctored.

Here's what you'll need:
3 cups flour1 Tablespoon baking powder1 Tablespoon sugar1 teaspoon salt3/4 teaspoon cr. of tartar1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 sticks of cold butter 1 1/4-1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk and it was great, and healthier!)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar1/2 cup chopped green onions  Preheat over to 450 degrees.

In a medium bowl stir together all the dry  ingredients. Cut the butter into chunks. Cut into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

  Add the cheese and green onion...

 Add the milk. Start with 1 1/4 c.  Increase to 1 1/2 cups if it seems too dry. 

Drop onto greased cookie sheet. (Makes 12-16 depending on the size you make them)

Bake at 450 for 13-15 minutes or until golden and springy to touch.

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Drab to Fab @ Sugar and Spice

Southwest Turkey Meatballs.

I love Pinterest for fashion and decorating inspiration, but recently I've discovered a new way to use it; to find new recipes! I found this recipe for Southwest Turkey Meatballs.

 

                                                                                Source: skinnytaste.com via Elyssa on Pinterest

  I tried it last week and it was so good! Here is what you need:

1-1/4 lbs 99% lean ground turkey

1 jalapeño, seeds removed (I used a serrano pepper)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions (I used green onions)

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp cumin
pinch oregano
salt and fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Put the pepper, garlic, cilantro, and green onions in a food processor and pulse until chopped, but not pureed. 

 Mix the green mixture into the turkey.

           Add the egg, bread crumbs, and other spices.

It should look like this:

Roll into 1" balls and place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.(For those of you that read my turkey roasting post, I would now like to draw your attention to my clean oven. :)

I made pasta and a white sauce and mixed the meatballs in with green beans and peas. It was pretty yummy!If you go over to www.skinnytaste.com you can find a recipe for a Creamy Cilantro Tomatillo Dipping Sauce if you want to have them as more of an appetizer. 

  These were very easy and delicious! I will definitely make them again!

Stuffed Spinach Pasta Shells

This is another one of our favorite recipes. I like it because it is vegetarian, so it's pretty inexpensive to make and cuts down on how much meat we eat.
It's pretty simple.
Here's what you need for a 9 x 13 pan: 26-28 jumbo pasta shells 2 boxes of frozen, chopped spinach (Thawed. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible) 4 eggs16 oz italian blend shredded cheese2 c. ricotta cheese1 1/2 jars pasta sauce

Cook the shells, run them under cool water, and place on towel to dry.

Mix together the ricotta, eggs, spinach and ital cheese. (Reserve 1/2 c. of italian cheese.)

Stuff the shells. Place in greased pan.

Pour sauce in top and sprinkle 1/2 c. reserved cheese.

 Bake, covered at 350 for 40 minutes or until heated through.

 

 

Roasting a Turkey 101

Roasting a turkey in the oven used to scare me.

The first year we were married and hosted Thanksgiving I was terrified I would mess it up! It would be too dry, not cooked through, burned, etc...

I made my 4th turkey a couple days ago and realized- turkeys don't scare me anymore!

The bonus is that if I get a 12 pounder I can make three or four meals from it. Here's how I roasted my turkey:

Thaw the turkey completely. (There are directions on the package. Usually you will want to thaw it in your fridge for 3-4 days. After it is thawed, remove the neck and giblets. Rise cavity with water and salt the interior.

(For Thanksgiving I used a bag and cooked the turkey all night. These are directions for roasting a turkey in a few hours, sans bag. I always heard that a bag made a more moist turkey, but I thought this one was very tender.) 

You'll want to put something in the cavity. I just used an onion cut into quarters. Of course you could stuff it with dressing or be creative. I've heard of people using oranges and lemons cut in half, or lime and fresh thyme.

Next I melted 2 T of butter to drizzle on top. 

Now for some spices.... I chose sage, oregano, italian seasoning, and black pepper.

 Here's what it looked like when I was done sprinkling:

Put on the lid for your roasting pan (or make a foil 'tent' to keep the turkey from getting to brown or spattering. Put in in an oven heated to 350 degrees.

I would like to say two things about this picture:

1) My name is not Louise J. The pan was a Goodwill score. ($4)

2) That is not my oven. My oven sparkles and is shiney and clean. ALWAYS.

I clean it with vinegar and baking soda everyday. Right after I run 5 miles and scrub the bathroom floor with a toothbrush.

Anywhoo.....

Here is the finished product!

 It was quite yummy! 

Here's what I did for meals with it:

1. Sliced turkey breast, green beans and hashbrown casserole

2. BBQ turkey sandwiches

3. Spinach salad with cut up turkey, black olives, croutons, cheddar, and onion.

4. Turkey carcass soup with dumplings.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Now that it's officially winter here (and COLD!) I'm in the mood for soups. If they can be made in the crock pot that's an extra bonus. Do all the work in the morning and have dinner ready with minimal clean up? Yes please.

Here is what you need:

(not all pictured)

3 frozen or fresh chicken breast
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can rotel

1can black beans
1 can white beans
14 1/2 oz. can chicken broth
2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 t. cumin

1 t. chili powder
1 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

1 T. fresh cilantro

1/2 bag of frozen corn

Put everything in the crock pot except for the corn. Stir well. 

 Love my Pampered Chef garlic press! I found it at Good Will! :)

 Ready to be stirred!

Cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. In the last 1/2 hour of cooking, remove the chicken and shred it. Place the chicken back in the soup and add the corn. Let cook another 30 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and sour cream.

 Enjoy!

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Menu Planning

It has taken awhile to tweak things, but I finally feel like I have a good system for meal planning and grocery shopping that works well for us. I thought I'd share it with you!

We go grocery shopping twice a month for our main groceries and may occasionally stop to get a few extra groceries for a dinner with friends or if C runs out of something. This has saved me so much time! When we first got married I tried to shop less frequently, but it seemed like I always ended going to the grocery store a couple times a week.  

My System:

Between trips I try to take stock of things and write down items we are running low on on a master list so I don't forget. If I use the last of the granulated sugar to make cookies, I write it down. Notice toothpaste getting low? Goes on the list. I just love when I do a huge shopping run and get home to discover I forgot toothpaste and butter. You know you've done it too! :)

I go to several stores; Aldi, Fare-way, and Wal-Mart. Aldi is the cheapest place to buy groceries, hands down. You save at least 40% off name brand items. I get a lot of basics there, kleenex, toilet paper, butter, eggs, salad dressings, olives, sugar, frozen chicken breast, juice, cooking oil,etc...

I buy most of my produce, some meat, and a few more specialty items like wheat pasta at Fare-way.  I get things like lotion, shaving cream, and artisan breads (when I buy them.) at Wal-Mart. It takes a little more time to go to several stores, but the savings is worth it. We spend about $320 a month on groceries for our family. That includes diapers and other supplies like shaving gel, lotion, paper products, etc...

We also have been able to save money on our grocery bill by doing the Body by Vi 90 day challenge.

We take a meal replacement nutrition shake for breakfast that only costs $1.87. You can save even more with their 3 for free program; refer three, your product is free. By doing this we basically get all our breakfast groceries for free. You can learn more at our blog theVicouple.com

Another way to save money is to plan meals ahead of time.

My mother taught me this. Thanks, Mom!

Every two weeks before I go shopping I sit down with my recipe box to make a list. I write down the names of each of the three stores. I pick a recipe and then write down the name at the top of my sheet. 

This time the meals I picked were tacos, spaghetti and salad, hamburgers and fries, bean bake, etc...

Then I add all the needed ingredients under the appropriate store. Here's an example of tacos:

I go through and do that for each meal. It actually only takes about 15 minutes. I also add fruit and other healthy snacks like nuts, fruit leathers, and granola bars. I usually plan a few things for lunches too like quesadilla ingredients, and sandwich or salad stuff.

I usually plan for 8 supper type meals for two weeks. That gives us some leeway if we go to our parents or have leftovers to eat up.

I write down the meals I buy ingredients for on our calendar and cross them off as we make them. If I'm in  a hurry I pick a meal that doesn't take long to prep.

So there you have it! My method for meal planning.

Do you have a grocery shopping/ meal planning tip to share?

    Leave a comment!