Korean Barbecued Beef

Ingredients

• 1 lb. beef boneless top loin or sirloin steak
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 T sugar
• 2 T sesame oil (or vegetable)
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 3 medium green onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped (1 t. minced)
• hot cooked rice
  

Directions

1. Cut beef diagonally across grain into 1/8" slices.
2. Mix remaining ingredients except rice in medium bowl. Stir in beef until well-coated. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Drain beef; discard marinade. Heat 10" skillet over medium heat. Cook beef in skillet 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until brown. Serve beef over rice.
   

Steaks with Garlic Butter

from "If it Tastes Good, Who Cares?"

Ingredients:

• steaks
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• dash Worcestershire sauce
  

Directions:

Melt margarine and add seasonings. Dip steaks in butter mixture and broil or grill, basting several times.

Grandma's Scalloped Corn

Time: 40 minutes Temp: 325 degrees

Ingredients:

• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cracker crumbs
• 1/2 T. butter
• salt and pepper
  

Directions:

Beat egg. Add milk, corn, crackers, and season with salt and pepper. Pour into small baking dish. Dot with butter. Bake.

September 2009 Meal Plan

I'm getting so bad at updating this. :) Having a job does that to you, I guess!

1 - Tacos and Spanish rice
2 - FFY
3 - egg and bacon biscuit sandwiches
4 - pizza
5 - out

6 - bourbon chicken, white rice, sweet corn
7 - chicken surprise, Suddenly Salad
8 - grilled cheese and wild rice soup
9 - grilled chicken Caesar salad
10- FFY
11- fajitas, Spanish rice
12- garlic butter steak, noodles and sauce, cheesy artichokes

13 - sesame ginger chicken and vegetable stir fry
14 - French toast, sausage links
15 - Creole chicken and rice
16 - walking tacos, Spanish rice
17 - FFY
18 - French bread pizza
19 - chicken curry, white rice

20 - ranch-style steak kabobs
21 - out
22 - scalloped potatoes and ham, breadsticks
23 - sausage skillet, green beans
24 - cheese omelet, English muffin with peanut butter, fruit
25 - baked potato soup, cheddar biscuits
26 - slow cooker chicken dinner

27 - corn dogs, French fries, cheese dipping sauce
28 - meatballs in cream of mushroom soup, egg noodles, green beans
29 - spaghetti, garlic bread, Grandma's scalloped corn

Swagbucks = best thing ever

July Meal Plan

I didn't have time to meal plan the first week, and we were out most nights anyway.

5 - meatballs in cream of mushroom soup over egg noodles
6 - chicken surprise on ciabatta
7 - BLTs
8 - steaks with garlic butter, Grandpa's pepper potatoes, corn on the cob
9 - FFY
10 - at the fair
11 - scalloped potatoes and ham

12 - out or lake
13 - chicken and broccoli alfredo
14 - tacos, Spanish rice
15 - gingered pepper steak, skillet potatoes with bacon and cheddar
16 - FFY or fair
17 - wedding
18 - lake

19 - lake
20 - speedy chicken stir fry
21 - teriyaki meatballs and couscous
22 - beef noodle bowl
23 - FFY
24 - date night
25 - lake or vacation

26 - lake or vacation
27 - Caribbean jerk chicken, cheddar broccoli rice, sweet corn
28 - weeknight lasagna toss
29 - slow cooked pepper steak, ranch potatoes, Grandma's scalloped corn
30 - FFY
31 - baked potato soup and cheddar biscuits

Sausage Skillet

Ingredients

• 2 T oil
• 1 Kielbasa ring sausage, sliced
  
• 1 pkg. frozen diced potatoes
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat; add sausage and potatoes.
2. Cook for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
3. Sprinkle mixture with cheese; cover until cheese is melted.
   

Creole Chicken

adapted from Katie

2 Chicken Breasts, diced
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 package frozen stir fry veggies (bell peppers and onions)
1 Clove Minced Garlic
1 can Diced Tomatoes -- 14 oz
2 Teaspoons Worcestershire
2 Teaspoons Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Basil
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon hot Sauce -- Optional

Add all ingredients to a pan and cook until chicken's done. Serve over rice.

June Menu Plan

This meal plan is very much not set in stone. Summers are tough to plan, because most weekends are spent at the lake, and we have softball games to go to Monday nights.

1 - some kind of sandwiches and chips
2 - Creole chicken and white rice
3 - FFY
4 - Sausage Skillet, sweet corn
5 - Rib Fest
6 - Grad Party

7 - Polish sausage on the grill, potatoes
8 - Baked potato soup, cheesy garlic biscuits
9 - Stir fry beef and broccoli, white rice
10 - FFY
11 - Breakfast burritos, apple kielbasa coins
12 - Appetizer night
13 - pizza on the grill

14 - chicken on the grill
15 - Italian beef sandwiches, corn on the cob
16 - FFY
17 - out of town
18 - Swedish meatballs, egg noodles, green beans
19 - Chicken fajitas
20 - Wedding

21 - Father's Day - steak on the grill?
22 - Corn dogs, chips, baby carrots
23 - out to eat for our 2nd Anniversary!
24 - FFY
25 - Indian curry, white rice
26 - Grilled chicken surprise on ciabatta, potato packets
27 - hot dogs on the grill?

28 - burgers on the grill?
29 - Bourbon chicken, white rice
30 - Tacos, Spanish rice

How I spend less than $200/month on groceries by meal planning

Many people have asked how I spend so little and how I meal plan, so I thought I'd take the time to write it all up so that I can quit repeating myself. :)

Meal Planning:

1. I start by printing off a calendar each month. I usually just do a Google search of "May 2009 calendar" or whatever month I need.
2. Then I get out my binder of recipes (This is full of recipes I've found online or in magazines that I cut out and put in a binder. I have arranged them by type to make them easier to find. I also have gone through all my cookbooks and made a list of all the recipes I love or want to try and arranged them by type as well with the name of the cookbook I can find it in at the end. This makes meal planning super easy.).
   
3. I go through all my recipes and just plug them into different days. I try to do Meatless Mondays and FFY (fend for yourselves, aka leftovers) on Wednesdays or Thursdays, depending on when I have bigger meals that will have more leftovers. I also try to not put similar foods right next to each other, like no chicken 2 days in a row, etc. Lunches are always leftovers, which saves us lots of money.
   
4. As I go through and plug in the recipes, I also make a grocery list on Microsoft Word as I go along. I separate it into weeks. I don't write down what I know I already have, but I do write it down if I'm not sure if I have it or not.
   

Saving Money:

• Now that the grocery list is complete, I go to each grocery store's website to check out the sales. I put everything on sale in bold with the price next to it, as well as the name of the store where it's on sale. I do this for ALL of the weeks, but I don't do it for produce (except for things that I can freeze like onions and peppers) and other things that will go bad later in the month, just the current week for those. Those in FM, remember that Sunmart and Cashwise ads come out on Sundays, and Hornbachers comes out on Wednesdays.
  
• Once you have bolded all the sale stuff, print out your grocery list. Go into your kitchen and cross off the things that you already have, but weren't sure if you did or not earlier.
• Grocery shopping time - We try to go grocery shopping each Sunday at either Hornbachers or Cashwise, depending on which had the best sales. B works close to Sunmart, so if we need sale items from there, he'll just pick them up after work.
• What to buy - Buy everything that you need for the current week, as well as everything else that is bolded on your list for the rest of the month (remember, don't bold the produce and stuff that will go bad if it's not for the current week!). Once you've bought the item, cross it off so that you know you don't need to buy it later in the month. Just hold on to the list and use it each week. Since you can't bold it when it's printed off, I'll either use highlights later in the month, or just write the sale prices down next to the items. Once you get to the last couple weeks, there's usually not much left to buy on your list!
• Using coupons - I don't use a ton of coupons, because the generic brands are generally just as good, and they usually end up being cheaper, even if you use a coupon on a brand name item. The only time I'll use a coupon is if the item is also on sale and it will still end up cheaper than the generic brand. Remember, if you don't normally buy the product you have a coupon for, you're not saving money! Only clip coupons for items that you normally would buy!
• When things come up - If something comes up and you're not able to make the meal you had planned on making... I just shift things over a day, or if I can, I add the missed meal to the next month. Or, if there's a meal towards the end of the month that I haven't bought ingredients for yet, I'll just omit that meal and substitute the missed meal.
• Buying meat in bulk - When meat goes on a good sale, we get all the meat we need for the month at once. If it's not a good sale, we'll just get it for the week. Last month, hamburger was $1.67/lb, so we bought about 12 lbs. of it, I think.
  
• Buying rice in bulk - We buy our rice from either a natural foods store or an Asian food market. WAY cheaper.
• Take advantage of the summer months! Buy produce at vegetable stands or farmer's markets! The veggies are SO much yummier, and WAY cheaper! If it's not summer, use frozen veggies! Once you cook them, they taste the same. It's way cheaper to buy a mix of frozen red peppers, green peppers and onions than to buy each thing when you're doing a stir fry.
  
• We very rarely buy those frozen pre-made meals. It's way cheaper to make food from scratch, and it tastes way better too!
  

Coupon Sites/Money Saving Blogs that I like:

• Coupons.com
• A Full Cup
• Coupon Saving Family
• Being Frugal is Fabulous
• iMommies
• Coupon Cravings
• Sarah's Deals
• Money Saving Mom
• Deal Seeking Mom
• Organic Grocery Deals

Hope all this information helps and that I didn't overwhelm you all!

Bread Machine Pizza Dough (from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water PLUS
• 2 T water
• 2 T oil
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 t. sugar
• 1 t. salt
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  

Directions:

1. Place ingredients in pan in order listed or as directed per machine instructions.
   
2. Select white dough cycle.
3. Makes 1 large pizza.
4. Top with desired toppings, and bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until crust is light brown.

For toppings we use Contadina pizza sauce, pepperoni, 1 pkg. mozzarella cheese, 1/2 pkg. Pizza cheese, and sprinkle with Pizza Seasoning and garlic salt.

Chicken Surprise

Ingredients

• bacon
• pepper jack cheese
• Italian dressing
• thawed chicken breasts
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven or grill.
   
2. Wrap slice of cheese around chicken, and then wrap chicken and cheese with bacon. Try to fully cover the cheese. Secure with toothpick, continue until all chicken is done.
3. Pour enough dressing over the chicken to fill the bottom of the dish.
4. If you'd like, put cheese on top of the bacon when it's close to being done.
5. Bake or grill until done.

Modification: Put some barbecue sauce on the chicken before adding the bacon! We like to serve ours on ciabatta rolls. YUM.

May 2009 Meal Plan

May 1 - BLTs
May 2 - Kung Pao Chicken and rice

May 3 - Korean barbecued beef and couscous
May 4 - Baked potato soup
May 5 - Mexican Casserole
May 6 - FFY
May 7 - Chicken Surprise with potatoes
May 8 - Breakfast for Dinner
May 9 - Slow cooked pepper steak and rice

May 10 - Mother's Day - out to eat
May 11 - Cheesy baked shells and broccoli
May 12 - Cajun burgers and fries
May 13 - FFY
May 14 - Spaghetti and breadsticks
May 15 - Chili rubbed steak and potatoes
May 16 - out of town

May 17 - out of town
May 18 - Loaded baked potatoes
May 19 - Biscuit tostadas
May 20 - Hot dogs and mac n cheese
May 21 - FFY
May 22 - Chicken and broccoli alfredo bake
May 23 - Slow cooker Tex Mex chicken

May 24 - Sausage skillet supper
May 25 - Pizza
May 26 - Walking tacos
May 27 - Bourbon chicken and rice
May 28 - FFY
May 29 - out of town
May 30 - out of town

May 31 - out of town

Grandma Lila's Slow-Cooked Pepper Steak

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2-2 lb. round steak
• 2 T cooking oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 t. sugar
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 1/4 t. ground ginger
• 4 tomatoes or 1 can (16 oz)
• 2 large green peppers, cut into strips
• 1/2 cup water, cold
• 1 T cornstarch
• cooked noodles, rice or potatoes
  

Directions:

1. Cut beef into 3"x1" strips; brown in oil in skillet. Transfer to a slow cooker.
2. Combine the next seven ingredients; pour over beef.
3. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until meat is tender.
4. Add tomatoes and green peppers; cook on low for 1 hour longer.
5. Combine the cold water and cornstarch to make a paste; stir into liquid in slow cooker and cook on high until thickened.
6. Serve over rice, noodles or potatoes.

makes 6-8 servings

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. stew meat
• potatoes
  
• baby carrots
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can beef broth
  

Directions:

1. Put stew meat in crockpot.
2. Chop potatoes into quarters and put in the pot (depending on how many you want).
3. Chop onion (to your liking) and add to pot.
4. Add baby carrots to pot.
5. Mix cream of mushroom soup and beef broth in separate bowl, then pour over the other ingredients in the crockpot.
6. Cook on low for 8-9 hours.
   

April Meal Plan

I've gotten behind on posting, so I'm going to post my meal plan for the entire month.

4/1 - Flatbread melts (California Pizza Kitchen)
4/2 - Adobo chicken over rice
4/3 - Beef stew
4/4 - hamburgers, fries, green beans

4/5 - Korean barbecued beef over white rice
4/6 - bourbon chicken w/ leftover rice
4/7 - skillet chicken nuggets and baked potatoes
4/8 - FFY
4/9 - out for Dad's birthday
4/10-citrus marinated chicken and cheddar broccoli rice
4/11-beef stir fry w/ couscous

4/12-Easter
4/13-chicken tortilla soup
4/14-tacos and Spanish rice
4/15-FFY
4/16-pasta primavera
4/17-Thai chicken pizza
4/18-Moroccan grilled chicken and rice

4/19-teriyaki chicken and rice
4/20-sweet and sour meatballs over rice
4/21-eggs, bacon and toast
4/22-kung pao chicken over rice
4/23-FFY
4/24-Creole chicken and rice
4/25-steaks w/garlic butter and parmesan potatoes

4/26-Indian curry and rice
4/27-fiery fettuccine
4/28-beef and chipotle burritos
4/29-Swedish meatballs and egg noodles
4/30-FFY

Baked Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS
3 bacon strips
1 small onion, chopped (or just use a bit of onion powder)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cans Swanson's chicken broth (low sodium)
Red potatoes (add as many as you'd like. We like ours with lots of potato.)
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco
Shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside. Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes, cream and hot pepper sauce; heat until boiling, cook 10 minutes on medium heat. Garnish with bacon and cheese.

Meal Plan March 8-14

Sunday - French bread pizza
Monday - Penne Rustica and homemade breadsticks
Tuesday - Ranch chicken quesadillas (didn't get around to having them Saturday)
Wednesday - FFY
Thursday - Cheesy sausage and diced potatoes
Friday - Biscuit tostadas
Saturday - gone

Meal Plan March 1-7

I'm going to try and remember to post each week's meal plan here, in case anyone is interested.

March 1: hot dogs and mac n cheese (I was craving it)
March 2: Slow Cooker Tex Mex Chicken
March 3: fajitas (with last night's leftovers)
March 4: FFY (fend for yourself)
March 5: deer sausage, potatoes, green beans
March 6: Brown Sugar chicken and rice
March 7: chicken quesadillas

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Bake (from BlairWaldorf)

Ingredients:

1 box penne pasta, cooked and drained
2 cups frozen broccoli, cooked in with the pasta the last 5 minutes
2 chicken breasts, diced and cooked
1 jar Alfredo sauce (Classico Garlic Alfredo)
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 T butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Coat one 9x13 baking dish with a thin layer of alfredo sauce.

3. In a medium mixing bowl (I just used the spaghetti pot after it'd been drained.) mix pasta, broccoli, chicken, garlic and alfredo.

4. Pour in dish and top with the cheeses.

5. Cut butter into small pieces and scatter on top of pasta mixture.

6. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Apple Pie by Grandma Ople (allrecipes.com with some modifications)

You will not find a better apple pie than this anywhere.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (We used store bought crust)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• More apples (You can use more Granny Smith apples, but we used some that I got from a vegetable stand.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.

1. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

1. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft. When the pie is done, sprinkle some cinnamon and sugar on top.
   
   

Stir Fry Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients

1/2 c. cold water
2 T cornstarch
2 T soy sauce
1 lb. beef boneless sirloin steak
2 T vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 package (16 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli
1 c. orange juice
3 cups hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. Mix water, cornstarch, and soy sauce.

2. Cut beef with grain into 2-inch strips; cut strips across grain into 1/8" slices.

3. Heat 12" skillet or wok over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; rotate skillet to coat side.

4. Add beef, ginger, and garlic powder; stir fry about 3 minutes or until beef is brown.

5. Add broccoli; stir fry 2 minutes.

6. Stir in orange juice; heat to boiling.

7. Stir in cornstarch mixture; cook and stir about 1 minute or until thickened.

8. Serve with rice.

Nacho Spuds (Rachael Ray)

Ingredients:

2 large baking potatoes, slicked into 1/2" thick rounds (this really depends on how much you want to make)
2 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed (we omitted this)
2 T taco Seasoning (we used a pack of Ortega seasoning)
1 8-oz. pkg. shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
Sour Cream and Lettuce, for serving

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the potatoes with 2 T olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the remaining 1/2 T olive oil and the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat until browned. Mix in the beans, taco seasoning, and 2 T water. Lower the heat and simmer, sitrring, until heated through.

Take the potatoes out of the oven. Sprinkle half the cheese on top of the potatoes. Spoon on the meat mixture, then top with the tomatoes and remaining cheddar. Place in the oven and turn off the heat. Let stand until the cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with the sour cream and lettuce.

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients: (makes 6)

2 chicken breasts (You could substitute ground beef for this if you'd like.)
1 package Ortega taco seasoning
3/4 c. water
Flour Tortillas
1 can Enchilada sauce
Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken into small cubes. Cook until done in a skillet.

2. When chicken is cooked, add the water and the taco seasoning. Stir until thickened.

3. Warm the tortillas.

4. Put chicken in the tortillas and roll them up. Place in baking dish.

5. Pour can of enchilada sauce over the whole dish.

6. Cover with as much cheese as you want.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

8. Enjoy!

Homemade Seasoned Fries and Cajun Ranch Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

• Potatoes (however many it takes to get as many fries as you want)


• Cooking spray


• Seasoning of your choice (We use Space Alien's French Fry Seasoning or Lawrys usually)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.


2. Spray the cookie sheet with cooking spray.


3. Cut potatoes into strips and put on the cookie sheet.


4. Spray the potatoes with cooking spray.


5. Sprinkle seasoning on potatoes.


6. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

To make Cajun Ranch Dip, mix Ranch dressing with Cajun seasoning until it's as spicy as you want it.

Here are photos from our meal last night.

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch strips or chunks
• 2 large onions, quartered and sliced thinly
• 1 apple, chopped into cubes
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Tamari
• 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/3 cup chicken broth or water
• hot cooked rice

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients, except rice, together in the slow cooker/Crock Pot. Cover and cook on low from 6 to 8 hours, or until chicken is tender. Serve over rice.

Crockpot chicken and rice recipe serves 4.

Toffee Coated Peanuts

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1-1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups unsalted dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, butter, corn syrup, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Add peanuts; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown, stirring once. Cool on a covered wire rack; break apart if necessary (Ben likes eating the clusters of peanuts better than breaking them apart.). Store in an airtight container.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep: 20 min. Bake: 10 min.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 egg
2 3/4 cups Bisquick Original baking mix
1 package (6 oz.) Semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix butter, brown sugar, vanilla and egg in large bowl. Stir in baking mix and chocolate chips.

2. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly

3. Bake about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Bread Machine Ciabatta

This recipe was delicious!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

DIRECTIONS

1. Place ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle, and Start.


2. Dough will be quite sticky and wet once cycle is completed, resist the temptation to add more flour. Place dough on a lightly floured board, cover with a large bowl, and let rest for 15 minutes.


3. Lightly flour or use parchment lined baking sheets. Divide into 2 pieces, and form each into a 3x14 inch oval. Place loaves on prepared sheets, dimple surface, and lightly flour. Cover, and let rise in a draft free place for approximately 45 minutes.


4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).


5. Dimple dough for a second time, and then place loaves in the oven, positioned on the middle rack. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. During baking, spritz loaves with water every 5 to 10 minutes for a crispier crust.

Chicken Linguine Alfredo

This was the best tasting chicken alfredo we've ever had.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 pkg. whole wheat linguini
1 jar Classico alfredo sauce
Canadian steak seasoning
frozen broccoli

Directions:

1. Boil water and cook pasta as directed on package.

2. Cook chicken and Canadian steak seasoning in pan over medium-high heat until cooked.

3. Pour alfredo sauce over the chicken and stir to mix. Continue to cook until heated.

4. Add broccoli to pasta and water when there's about 5 minutes left for the pasta to cook.

5. Drain pasta and broccoli and put back in the pan.

6. Pour alfredo and chicken mixture over pasta and mix.

7. Enjoy!

Bread Machine Focaccia

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup lukewarm water + 1 tbsp. water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 teaspoons rosemary
• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary
  

DIRECTIONS

1. Place water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, garlic, 1 tablespoon rosemary, bread flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough cycle; press Start.


2. Remove dough from bread machine when cycle is complete. Pat dough into either a 9x13 inch baking pan or 12 inch pizza pan. Use your fingers to dimple the dough every inch or so. Brush with remaining olive oil and sprinkle with remaining rosemary.


3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Cover focaccia with plastic wrap while oven preheats.


4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Italian New Potato Bake

10 min

Total Time:
55 min

Makes:
8 servings

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. salt

2 lb. new potatoes, cut into quarters

1/2 cup KRAFT Reduced Fat Parmesan Style Grated Topping

MIX oil, garlic, Italian seasoning and salt with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over potatoes in large bowl. Add grated topping; mix lightly.

PLACE in 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

BAKE at 400°F for 45 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.

The Yummiest Steak Ever

Prep Time:
5 min

Total Time:
21 min

Makes:
4 servings

2 tsp. each brown sugar, garlic powder and onion powder

1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper

4 beef tenderloin steaks (6 oz. each)

1 Tbsp. oil

PREHEAT grill to medium-high heat. Mix brown sugar and seasonings.

BRUSH steaks with oil. Sprinkle seasoning mixture evenly over both sides of steaks; press gently into steaks to secure.

GRILL 6 to 8 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

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Grilled Potatoes

Put seasonings in with slices/cubes of potatoes in a foil packet. Grill for 30-35 minutes. We used olive oil, parmesan cheese, italian seasoning and garlic powder.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grilled Asparagus

1. Preheat grill for high heat.


2. Lightly coat the asparagus spears with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


3. Grill over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or to desired tenderness.

Space Aliens' Baked Potato

Ingredients:

Baked potatoes

Ranch Dressing

Cajun Spice Seasoning

Tomato

Cheddar Cheese

Bacon Bits

Cook the potato. Combine some ranch dressing with the cajun seasoning mix (to your taste). Chop the tomato into small pieces. Put all ingredients on top of the baked potato. Enjoy!