Author Archives: ruthep

Spaghetti Squash

24 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by in spaghetti squash, yummy stuff

≈ 4 Comments

 
 This is a spaghetti squash. A squash this size will feed a family of four or five. It is called spaghetti squash because you rake the flesh out with a fork and it comes out in strands somewhat like spaghetti.
You serve it like you would pasta. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and maybe a little Parmesan cheese. You can also top it with a sauce like Alfredo or marinara.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 Celsius.
You will need a pan large enough to lay the squash in.
You will also need a knife, a large spoon, and a fork.
A towel is nice, but not necessary. 
Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
Wash your squash off and pierce the hard skin a few times with a knife.
Lay in the pan and put in the oven.
Bake for one hour and poke with knife to see if it is tender. If the knife goes in fairly easy, it is ready. 
Take out and let it rest a few minutes.
With the knife, slice it in half lengthwise.
With the spoon, scoop out the seeds and spongy stuff.
You might want to hold a towel against outside of the squash so it’s not so hot.
Rake the fork down the pulp and it will come out in strands.

Serve with sauce of your choosing.

The seeds can be roasted like pumpkin seeds or dried and saved for future planting.

Crockpot Hungarian Goulash

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by in beef, beef roast, crockpot, Hungarian goulash, yummy stuff

≈ 4 Comments

This is a great, simple meal that just screams comfort. Hungarian goulash is different from the tomato sauce/hamburger/macaroni version that most Americans are used to.

Serve this over rice or noodles and you have quite a meal.

This serves 4-6 people.

You will need a 4 to 6 quart size crockpot.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. cubed beef roast
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1-1/4 cups water, divided
1/4 cup flour

Cut up the meat and put it in the crockpot.
Combine the ketchup,Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, paprika, dry mustard, and 1 cup of the water.
Pour and over the meat and stir everything together.
Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours until the meat is tender.
Combine the rest of the water and the flour.
Stir that into the beef mixture and turn on high for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.

While the sauce thickens, cook your rice or noodles.

The cut of roast can determine how long to cook it. Chuck roast is tougher so it may take the full 10 hours, whereas a loin roast may be tender at 8 hours or less.

Frugal Me Fridays- Preserving

13 Friday Sep 2013

Posted by in Frugal Me Fridays, preserving, yummy stuff

≈ 4 Comments

Preserving comes in many forms.

You can can.
You can pickle.
You can freeze.
You can make jams, jellies, preserves, or butters.
You can dry.

It’s always great if you have your own garden or fruit trees, but you can save money preserving by getting stuff from friends, farmer’s markets, or even the plain old grocery store.

One year, before I started growing my own pumpkins. I bought one at the store.
I cooked it up and pureed it and froze it.
You get the seeds as a bonus.
You can roast the seeds as a snack, bake with them, or just dry them and save to plant later on.

Frozen fruit can be used for making jam.
Buy some when it’s on sale.
Tastes better and you’ll save over buying it already made.

You can make jelly with bottled juice.
It works great.
Just buy some sugar, some juice, and pectin.
You are good to go.

You can dry your own herbs with a dehydrator or by letting them air dry.

So, if you ever find yourself a really good deal or have too much…
remember, there is always a way to save it for later.

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Have a great Friday!

Stuffed Peppers

11 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by in bell peppers, Stuffed Peppers, yummy stuff

≈ 2 Comments

Bell peppers are just made to stuff. These are a family favorite when the bells are in season. Yes, you can buy them year round, but it can be hard to find some good fresh ones.

You can stuff them by cutting them in half, taking out the membrane and seeds and stuffing. This is for those times when the bells are more pointy ended.
If you have bells that stand up well, you can just cut off the tops, remove the membrane and seeds and stuff.

They are tasty either way. It just depends on how you want them to look.

This recipe will make 3 to 6 stuffed peppers. If your peppers are really large, you will have enough filling for 3. If they are more normal, medium size, you will get 6.

You will need a pan of boiling water for the peppers.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/175 Celsius.
You will need a baking pan large enough to hold the peppers.
You will also need a large skillet.

Ingredients:
6 medium bell peppers OR 3 extra large peppers
salt-opt.
1 lb ground beef or turkey
small chopped onion-1/4 to 1/3 cup
2 cups chopped tomatoes OR a 16 oz. can
1/4 cup white rice
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to season
1 cup shredded cheddar OR cheddar/jack cheese plus a little for sprinkling

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise OR cut the tops off and remove the seeds and white parts. 
Bring a pan of water- large enough to hold all the peppers- to a boil.
Immerse the peppers and cook for 5 minutes.
Drain.
Sprinkle with salt, if you’d like.
While you are doing that, add the 1/2 cup water and rice to a small pan with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.
Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. You should end up with approximately 3/4 cups rice.
Set the rice to the side.
In a large skillet cook the meat and onion.
When the meat has browned, add the tomatoes, rice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
Mix and simmer about 5 minutes.
Add the cheese.
Stuff the peppers.
Put in baking pan and bake for 25 minutes.  Sprinkle with more cheese.

Serve.

One time I made these and halved the recipe. Except, I forgot to cut the amount of cheese in half. It was excellent.
So, if you love cheese, go ahead and add some more!

Thanks, Lynn, for reminding me to post this recipe!

The Ripening

09 Monday Sep 2013

Posted by in red peppers, yummy stuff

≈ 2 Comments

My bell peppers are starting to ripen. I love having red peppers as well as the green.

What I hate, is the waiting. They stay green for so long before they start to turn red, yellow, orange, purple, or whatever color you have.

My daughter prefers the green for snacking. But, the sweetness of the fully ripe pepper is great in cooked dishes.

The white powder on my plant is Diatomaceous Earth. It’s organic and tomato horn worms and grasshoppers have been my enemy in the garden this year.

So, if you want ripe peppers and think they will never turn, just wait and wait.
And wait a little more.
They will get there.

Zucchini Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

03 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by in yummy stuff, zucchini cupcakes, zucchini recipe

≈ 2 Comments

These are really tasty. They are also a great way to use any zucchini, should you find yourself with an abundance of it.

This recipe is wheat free. Instead of wheat flour, oat flour and a small amount of ground flax seed is used.

Oat flour can be bought. You can also make it by grinding it finely in blender, food processor, or spice grinder.

You will need muffin tins and cupcake liners for 18 regular size cupcakes.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/ 175 Celsius.

CUPCAKES-

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1-1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
2-1/2 cups oat flour
1/3 cup ground flax seed, also known as flax meal
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt, optional
2 teaspoons cinnamon
heaping 1/4 teaspoon allspice
1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, oil, orange juice, and almond extract.
In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. 
Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and mix well.
Add the zucchini and blend that.
Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners. They will be about 2/3 full.
Bake 18-20 minutes or until the cupcakes test done when using the toothpick test in one.
Take out of the oven, but leave in the pan for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, remove from pan to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Frost.

CARAMEL FROSTING-

Ingredients:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 to 2 cup powdered sugar

In a medium size saucepan, melt the butter, brown sugar, and milk together.
Bring to a boil and stir for two minutes.
Take off the stove and stir in the vanilla extract.
Let it cool to just warm.
Stir in the powdered sugar a half cup at a time until you reach a frosting like consistency.
Frost each cupcake.
As the frosting cools all the way, it will get thicker.
So, either use a little less powdered sugar and frost when totally cool OR frost before the frosting is completely cool.
I frosting mine with the frosting slightly warm.

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You may use all-purpose wheat flour. Instead of the oat flour, use wheat all purpose flour and don’t use the flax meal.
Also lower the baking powder to just 2 teaspoons.

Dried Zucchini Chips

27 Tuesday Aug 2013

Posted by in dried zucchini chips, yummy stuff, zucchini chips, zucchini recipe

≈ 2 Comments

I am a lover of all things zucchini and when I heard about making them into chips, I knew I had to try them.
They are not baked or fried like a traditional chip. These use a food dehydrator.
They don’t get quite as crisp and crunchy as a regular chip, but they are still pretty tasty.

You will need a food dehydrator, or the lowest setting on the oven you have.
You will need a mandolin, food processor with slicing disk, or a knife for slicing the zucchini.

Ingredients:
3 medium zucchini, cleaned and sliced thin- I sliced mine about 1/8″ thick.
a few Tablespoons olive oil
salt, pepper, or other seasoning as desired

Slice the zucchini and put in a large bowl.
Drizzle over the olive oil and  sprinkle lightly with seasonings.
Work the oil and seasoning into the slices so they are fairly evenly coated.
Set your dehydrator to 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spread the zucchini out in a single layer. I used 4 trays.
Dehydrate for 4 to 5 hours.
Take out and store in covered container.
Best eaten within a couple days.

This will be enough for 3-4 people.
If you use your oven, check them often and turn them. They will take about 2-3 hours.
Don’t go heavy on the spices. The flavor intensifies as the chips dry.

Frugal Me Fridays- School Lunch

23 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 6 Comments

My daughter just started back to school this week and it made me think that taking your lunch to school or work would make for a good frugal topic.

My daughter is now a junior and has been taking her lunch since elementary school.

Packing a lunch is not only more economical, it can be healthier.

Most schools rely heavily on processed foods and making a lunch can be as processed or as fresh as you want to make it.

If I had to pay for my daughter to eat at school, it would cost me almost $3 a day.
Packing a lunch doesn’t cost much of anything depending on what you choose to send.
The cost of the groceries can be absorbed into the food budget and you may not notice a difference.

You do have your start up costs.
You should have a lunch box or bag.
You need some containers for food and drink, as well as a wide mouth thermos for anything that needs kept cold or very hot.
An ice pack is also a good idea.

I like to send leftovers.
Heat them up.
Before you put them in the food thermos, heat the thermos with boiling hot water for about 10-15 minutes.

Make up a big batch of pudding that you divide into containers to last the week.

You can do a lot of prep the night before so it doesn’t take much.
Finish it up while they are eating breakfast.

I even saw an idea once for sending a hotdog to school.
Fill a big thermos with boiling water and add the hotdog.
Pack a bun separately.
At lunch, the child can take the hotdog out the the thermos and put in the bun.

If you have a garden, send some fresh veggies.
Green pepper slices or cherry tomatoes or even carrots.
If you don’t have a garden, check out the farmer’s market in your area.

I also like to send popcorn sometimes.

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Have a great Friday!

Frugal Me Fridays- The Food Dehydrator Investment

16 Friday Aug 2013

Posted by in dehydrator, Frugal Me Fridays, yummy stuff

≈ 4 Comments

I love my food dehydrator. It isn’t something I use every day, but it has paid for itself in many ways.

A dehydrator will cost anywhere from $50 for a simple one to well over $150 for a big box dehydrator.
For my needs, I went simple.
I can buy more trays, should I ever need them.

If you plan to dry herbs, make sure you get a digital thermometer instead of one with a dial.
The digital is a bit higher priced, but it is more accurate.
With herbs, just a little too high of temperature and they will get ruined.

Today, I am planning to make some zucchini chips using the dehydrator.
I will have to let you know the results.

The dehydrator can save you a lot of money and you will end up with something a lot more nutritious.
Both are big wins and totally worth it.

Grow your own herbs and dry them.

Get bananas when they are marked down or free and make banana chips. They taste so much better. If you look at banana chips from the store, you see oil in the ingredient list. Because, they have been fried too.

You can dry all kinds of fruits or puree the fruit and make fruit leather-also known as fruit by the foot.

You can make your own meat jerky.

Try vegetable chips in it instead of frying or baking if you are into raw foods.
I have read about lots of foods done this way, but not white potatoes. I am not sure about that.
But I have read about using kale, sweet potatoes, and zucchini. You could do garlic and onions also.
Pretty much what you want to try.

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My husband is finally settling into his new job. It has been quite a change. After 7 years of works overnights, he is now on days. Rearranging my schedule has been something too. He will also have normal weekends so that will be nice. I have not had a day during the school year when I got to just sleep in.
When Kiddo was off on the weekends, he was coming in from work and I’d wake up.
His new job is a pay cut, but closer to home.

Have a great Friday everyone!

My Heirlooms!

15 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in heirloom. Cherokee purple, tomatoes, yummy stuff

≈ 4 Comments

I am excited.
My Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes are finally ripening.

They look a bit different than the standard tomato. They have green shoulders, but are still ripe.
The red is a deep, dusky hue instead of just red, red.
They have a complex flavor that you have to try to really understand what I mean.
The smell is just incredible!

This year I grew Rutgers, Delicious, and Cherokee Purple.
All three are considered heirloom.
I think of the Cherokee and Delicious as more so than the Rutgers.
The Rutgers was developed in the 1940s so it is old enough to be considered heirloom.

When you buy the plants, heirlooms cost no more.
Many times, when you buy the seeds, heirlooms have more seeds per packet.

I love when the tomatoes are ready.
Time to make salsa- fresh and canned.
Can tomatoes for the coming seasons.
And just eat them!

This is a summertime favorite for my daughter and I. We slice up some tomatoes and cucumbers, sprinkle with salt and enjoy!

Do you have a favorite kind of tomato?
Do you have a favorite was to eat them?

Have a great day!