Cranberry Vanilla Oatmeal

This is not your ordinary oatmeal! This was so quick and easy to prepare. This is Ellie Krieger's recipe from the Food Network so it fits in with any healthy New Year's Resolutions! Publix has their Quaker Oatmeal B1G1. I bought the Quick Cooking kind. I will be making this one again. It is quick enough for me to make before work. Eat half one morning, save the other half for the next. You are sure to enjoy this one!



1 3/4 cup water
1 cup Old Fashioned Oats, or Quick Cooking Oats
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup dried cranberries (I used a little bit more)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons raspberry jam (can use low-sugar)
1/4 cup 1% low fat milk, plus more to taste

Put water, oats, salt and cranberries into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes for Old Fashioned Oats, or 1 minute for Quick Cooking Oats. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla extract and raspberry jam. Put into serving bowls and pour 2 tablespoons of milk over each bowl.


Enjoy!


(adapted from FoodNetwork.com)

Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes

Who doesn't love Twice Baked Potatoes. These are WAY better than those frozen ones. Publix has a 5 lb. bag of Idaho potatoes for $2.49 this week. I found a 10 lb. bag of Russet potatoes at Allegri's Farm Market today for $1.99. I've even done a recipe similar to this where I used red potatoes. So, use what you've got on hand. Change it up a bit if you need to. I wonder if you could freeze these? I've thought about it before, but never tried it. I usually just half the recipe.



4 large baking potatoes, scrubbed
6-8 tablespoons butter (I used Smart Balance)
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup milk, or as needed
1/4 cup sour cream (I used light)
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
4-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the potatoes on a rack for 1 hour or until soft. Allow them to cool slightly.

(Or you can cook in a microwave in four minute intervals, flipping over after each one, until soft. Be sure to prick the skins with a fork. Mine took approximatley 24 minutes in the microwave this evening.)

Cut the potatoes in half, scoop out the pulp, and place in a mixing bowl, setting the skins aside. Add the butter, salt, pepper and sour cream. Mash well, adding enough milk to make a fairly stiff mixture. Add the beaten egg yolks and stir well.

Spoon the mixture into the potato skins and top with the shredded cheese. (If I bake 4 potatoes- 8 shells- I usually fill 6 of them because I like them really full. If I bake 3 potatoes- 6 shells- I fill 4 of them).

Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or well browned. Top with the crumbled bacon when you take them out of the oven.



We served the potatoes tonight with Grilled Chicken Breasts and green beans.


Enjoy!


(adapted from Junior League Celebration Cookbook)

Grilled Chicken Breasts

This is a simple, delicious way to fix chicken breasts. My Dad always uses Italian dressing to baste his chicken on the grill. It gives it tons of flavor and keeps it tender and juicy. Wish Bone dressing is B1G1 this week at Publix. There is usually some type of dressing on sale. Add this one to your recipe box.



4 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/4 cup Italian Dressing

Trim chicken breasts to remove excess fat. Place chicken breasts in a large zippy bag. Pound slightly with a tenderizer (use the smooth side of a meat mallot). Remove from baggy and season both sides with salt and pepper. Return to the same bag and add dressing. Mix up slightly with your hands from the outside to make sure the chicken is coated with the dressing. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Remove chicken and grill over medium-low heat for approximately 10-12 minutes or until no longer pink turning once.


Enjoy!

Blueberry French Toast

This recipe is reason enough to step into Wal-mart. In their bakery they have a loaf of blueberry cobbler bread ($2.88 in Fairhope). My sister-in-law, Shelley, had the wonderful idea to slice the bread and make it into french toast. YUM-O! I have tried it with the cinnamon swirl bread too, but this blueberry one is my favorite. You can cook one or two slices if you want, or slice the whole loaf into 10 slices and follow this recipe. If you have strawberries on hand, slice them and put on top with the maple syrup!



1 loaf Blueberry Cobbler Bread
5 eggs
5 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons sugar
butter
maple syrup

Slice the blueberry bread into 10 slices. Stack and set aside. Scramble the eggs in a shallow baking dish; mix in the milk and sugar. (If you're not making the whole loaf use 1 egg, 1 tablespoon milk, and 1 teaspoon sugar per 2 slices.) Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Put a pat of butter on the skillet. Dredge the slices in the egg mixture to coat. Let excess egg mixture drip off. Place slices on the skillet (mine fits 4 at a time). Dredge the other slices right before putting on the skillet. If you leave them in the egg mixture for any length of time they get too soggy and fall apart. Dredge as needed. Cook on each side about 2 minutes, or until golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Enjoy!


Thanks Shelley!

Taco Salad

My Mom and Dad got me started on these. This dinner is a staple in their house. It is so quick to pull together for a weeknight meal, and you only have the one pot to clean. It uses my recipe for Taco Meat that I used in the Corn and Black Bean Burritos. And don't forget to make a little extra to use for Taco Puffs another night! This week Publix has their Tostitos chips B1G1. I have the beans, meat and cheese leftover from previous weeks' sales. The corn I put in the meat was what I had leftover from the Corn Muffins last night. Buy ground beef when it is on sale and put it in the freezer in 1 lb. portions. I take mine out the freezer when I'm ready to cook. Place it in a skillet frozen, cover it with a lid and cook over medium. Flip occassionally and scrape off the meat as it browns. Crumble with the back of a wooden spoon. Works every time!



Taco Meat: (for 4-6 taco salads)

1 lb. ground beef
1/4 cup taco seasoning
2/3 cup water
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 can corn, drained (optional)
3/4 cup salsa


Taco Salad:

Taco Meat
Tostitos Corn Chips
Shredded Cheese
Iceburg Lettuce, chopped
Sour Cream
Salsa
Avacado+ Lime (optional)

Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink. Drain off excess fat and return to pan. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Cook over medium heat about 3-5 minutes. Add in the beans, corn and salsa. Cook for another 3-5 minutes over medium heat, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 15 minutes. This really allows the flavors to combine.

Take a handful of chips and put in the bottom of a plate or large pasta bowl and crush with your fingers. This makes the "bed" for the salad. Top with taco meat, cheese, lettuce, sour cream and then salsa. If you have avocado on hand, chop it up with a squeeze of lime juice and put on top of the salad. So good!


Enjoy!


Thanks Mom!

Menu Jan 1-6

I am really anxious to get back in my kitchen! I have not been a regular visitor throughout the holidays. I do better when I plan out a menu and stick to it. If I know what I am going to make that evening, I can plan it during the day and it works out a lot better. If I scrounge around in the kitchen when I get home from work its a lot harder to put something together. Here's the menu I've worked out for this week. Let's see if I can stick to it and get them posted for you!

Taco Salad
Blueberry French Toast
Grilled Chicken Breasts
Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes
Cranberry Vanilla Oatmeal
Classic Pasta Salad
Chunky Potato Soup
Spaghetti with Chicken Meatballs


I'm really looking forward to this. Most of these recipes I have made before, but 3 of them are new. So let's see how they turn out!

Publix Trip 1/1

Not a huge week at Publix. I got a few things for the recipes this week and some other items to add to my stockpile. I did the Meal Deal at Winn Dixie earlier also, so that was $14. Small week and I didn't really use a lot of coupons. I have been bad about collecting inserts. That's going to be one New Year's Resolutions! I'm telling all my friends, "Give me your inserts!"

Order Total: $17.37
Sales Tax: $1.99
Grand Total: $19.36
Total Savings: $35.99

What's In The Buggy:

(2) Betty Crocker Brownie Supreme
(2) Wishbone Italian Dressing
(2) Pop Tarts
(1) Quacker Quick Oats
(2) Skinny Cow Truffle Bars
(1) Iceburg Lettuce
(1) Pepperidge Farm Wheat Bread
(1) Smithfield Bacon
(1) Perdue Ground Chicken (1 lb.)
(1) Baked Ruffles
(1) Quaker Apple Cinnamon Rice Cakes
(1) Tostitos Chips

Next week I am going to work coupons more and get more for my money. I know $20 isn't bad, but I really didn't get a whole lot. Here's to setting goals for the New Year!