More Than Bargains

Best-Ever Fried Chicken March 20, 2008

1 cut-up broiler-fryer chicken (about 3 1/2 lb)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp each~ pepper and dried thyme3 cups oil for frying

•  Put chicken and buttermilk in a large ziptop bag, seal and refrigerate 2 to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.
• Drain chick in a colander; discard buttermilk.  Don’t pat chicken dry.
• In a clean plastic bag, combine flour, salt, pepper and thyme.  Add several pieces of chicken, seal bag and shake to coat well.  Remove chicken to a plate.  Repeat with remaining chicken.
• Heat oil in 1 large or 2 medium-size heavy skillets over meduim heat until hot but not smoking.  Add chicken, cover and cook, turning occasionally with tongs, 20 minutes, reducing heat slightly if chicken begins to brown.  Uncover, increase heat to medium-high and cook, turning often, 10 minutes or until chicken is golden and cooked through.  Drain on paper towels.

Now I didn’t say it was the healthiest but is sure is GOOD!

Kid Recipe~ Pastrami Pita Pockets March 10, 2008

Pastrami Pita Pockets

Let the kids cook for St. Patrick’s Day! These simple sandwiches can be assembled with little or no help from Mom and Dad. A simple yet delicious dish with Irish flare.

8 slices Pastrami deli meat
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 C. canned sauerkraut
Thousand Island Dressing (optional)
Pita Pocket bread

Makes 4 whole pita sandwiches.

If pitas are whole, cut each piece in half, making 2 pockets. Stuff each pocket with 2 slices of Pastrami, 1/2 slice Swiss cheese and 1/8 cup sauerkraut. Warm in microwave for 30-second intervals until cheese is melted. Spoon on 1 TBSP Thousand Island dressing, if desired.

Thank you: http://www.momsmenu.com

Make this for dinner with the kids on St. Patty’s Day!

Banana Split Parfaits February 26, 2008

Prep Time:30 min

Total Time:3 hr 30 min

Makes:8 servings

1 cup cold milk
1 pkg.  (4-serving size) JELL-O French Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided
24   NILLA Wafers, divided
2 small bananas
8   maraschino cherries

POUR milk into large bowl. Add dry pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 2 min. or until well blended. Gently stir in 1-1/2 cups of the whipped topping; spread into 8-inch square pan. Freeze 3 hours or until firm enough to scoop.

CHOP 16 of the wafers. Spoon scant tablespoonful of the chopped wafers into each of eight parfait glasses or dessert dishes. Scoop 1/4 cup of the pudding mixture into each glass with ice cream scoop; sprinkle evenly with remaining chopped wafers.

CUT bananas in half lengthwise, then cut each piece crosswise in half. Stand 1 banana piece in each parfait glass. Fill evenly with the remaining 1/2 cup whipped topping, remaining 8 wafers and the cherries. Serve immediately.

from: http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/home.htm

Freebie-Cookbook February 25, 2008

For a free Jiffy Mix cookbook : http://www.jiffymix.com/

FRESH BLUEBERRY CORN MUFFINS
(Yield: 15 Muffins)

I love the Jiffy cornbread.

Beef Taco Skillet-Easy Recipe! February 18, 2008

1 lb.ground beef

1 can Campbell’s Tomato Soup

1/2 cup of salsa

1/2 cup water

6 flour tortillas, cut into 1″ pieces

1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Cook beef in 10″ skillet until well browned, stirring to break up meat.  Pour off fat.

2. Stir in soup, salsa, water, tortillas.  Heat to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 min.  Stir.  Top with cheese.  Makes 4 servings.

*You can also add 1/2 cup of sour cream with the soup.

Chicken and Dumplings February 9, 2008

Ingredients
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped potatoes
1-1/2 cups chopped parsnips
1 clove garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
1 10-3/4-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
1/3 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
1. For stew, in a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker combine the carrots, potatoes, parsnips, garlic, bay leaves, sage, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables. In a medium bowl gradually whisk broth into soup. Pour broth mixture over the chicken.

2. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.

3. If using low-heat setting, turn slow cooker to high-heat setting. With a wooden spoon, stir stew. Remove bay leaves; discard. In a small bowl combine water and cornstarch; stir into stew until combined.

4. For dumplings, in a medium mixing bowl combine flour, cheese, cornmeal, baking powder, and the 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a small bowl combine egg, milk, and melted butter. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir with a fork until moistened. Use 2 spoons to drop dough directly on top of stew.

5. Cover; cook for 25 to 30 minutes more or until a toothpick inserted into a dumpling comes out clean. (Do not lift cover during cooking.) Makes 8 servings.

My husband wants me to make Chicken and Dumplings for Sunday dinner after seeing this picture. It’s been very cold so this will be perfect.

Yummy Valentine Cupcakes February 4, 2008

I’m always on the lookout for a healthier recipe for kid snack/treats.  My son’s school has a bakesale every Friday and they always have those messy cupcakes that leave frosting all over the kid’s clothes.  I think these would work great for next week.  These are made from spirals of Fruit by the Foot fruit leather.  Note to self~ get fruit leather at store this week!!! 

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
12 mini cupcakes
White icing
Scissors
6 rolls of Fruit by the Foot fruit leather in Cherry Rage or strawberry flavor
1 roll of Fruit by the Foot fruit leather in Color by the Foot flavor

1. Frost 12 mini cupcakes with white icing.

2. To make a rose, unroll a piece of the cherry or strawberry fruit leather and divide it in half along the wavy perforated middle line. Take one of the halves and roll up about 5 inches to form the flower’s center. Set the rolled strip wavy side up in the middle of a cupcake, as shown, and continue to loosely wrap the remaining fruit leather around the center at a slight angle until the flower is completed.

3. Repeat this process for the remaining flowers. (You should be able to get 2 mini roses out of each roll of fruit leather.)

4. Cut leaf shapes from the wavy edge of the Color by the Foot strip as shown, then tuck the leaves under the roses.

Homemade Corndogs~ January 19, 2008

1 box of jiffy mix
3 hot dogs

Make mix according to instructions on box.
Pour mix into mini muffin pan.
Slice up hot dogs and poke inside each muffin.
Cook according to instructions on box.

You can also make more batches and freeze them.

My kids would love these!

Pepperoni Pizza Casserole January 17, 2008

from: http://www.momsmenu.com/

GREAT MEAL IDEA

1 can (28 oz.) whole tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
8 oz. package rotini or rotelle noodles
8 oz. sliced pepperoni
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz.)
1/4 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles as directed on package; drain. Meanwhile, mix tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in 3-qt saucepan, break up tomatoes. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir macaroni and pepperoni into tomato mixture. Pour into ungreased 8×8 square pan or 2-qt casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until hot and cheese is golden brown. Serves 6. Freezes well.

picture found at cookbookjunkie.blogspot.com

Helen’s One-Skillet Lasagna January 15, 2008

This easy no-bake dish offers the cheesy goodness of a traditional lasagna without the lengthy prep time.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
1 1/4 cups ricotta
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)
1 (26-ounce) jar pasta sauce
6 oven-ready lasagna noodles
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta, water, salt, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Set the mixture aside.

2. Brown the beef in a large skillet set over medium-high heat until it’s no longer pink, about 5 minutes, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon. Drain any fat, if needed. Add the zucchini. Stir in 2 cups of the pasta sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

3. Top the mixture with 2 lasagna noodles, set in the center. Break 2 more noodles into medium-size pieces and fill in the edges. Gently spread the cheese mixture over the noodles. (The noodles may begin to curl in the skillet, but the cheeses will hold them down.) Lay on the 2 remaining noodles. Pour the rest of the sauce into the skillet and spread it evenly, then sprinkle on the remaining cup of mozzarella.

4. Cover the skillet and simmer the lasagna over medium-low heat until the noodles are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and let the lasagna cool for 5 minutes. Cut the lasagna into squares and serve. Makes 6 servings.

This recipe came from one of my favorite sites: http://familyfun.go.com/

Cheesy Meatloaf January 10, 2008

1 1/2 to 2 pounds ground beef
8 oz grated parmesan cheese
1 cup grated chedder cheese
1 can tomato paste
1 egg
1 teaspoon garlic powder
I medium onion, diced
3 slices bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste

This sounds yummy!  I use BBQ sauce in my meatloaf.  My kids would eat this for sure.