Summer Meal Series #7: Tuna, Vegetable, and Cheese Stuffed Manicotti
This summer, I’m going to be posting a series of fifteen low-cost, tasty, and easy-to-prepare meals that are literally straight from my own kitchen.
I love tuna. It’s a wonderfully light fish with a distinctive flavor that works well in summer meals. It’s also a component of a tuna noodle casserole that my mother used to make that remains one of my comfort foods.
Sarah and I wanted to build on that “comfort” tuna noodle casserole, making it a bit healthier and a bit lighter. After riffing on some recipes from various cookbooks, we came up with tuna-stuffed manicotti with a cheese sauce, served with a spinach salad and a really simple fruity side dish that goes great with a summer meal (which I’ll mention at the end):
This meal used what looks like a small mountain of ingredients, but they actually came together pretty well:
Here’s what we used:
16 manicotti shells
2/3 cup finely chopped green pepper (about a bell pepper’s worth)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion (about a third or so of a medium onion)
5 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups cottage cheese
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I usually like to grate this myself, but we didn’t have a chunk of Parmesan on hand)
1 teaspoon marjoram
2 cups cooked vegetables (peas, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower – any of those will work)
2 small cans of tuna (about 12 ounces total)
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (your choice – we used American because of how well it melts)
Our total cost for all of these ingredients was $9.62. Our end product served the four of us for dinner and for lunch the next day, bringing the cost per meal down to $1.20.
The first step is to cook the manicotti according to package directions, leaving you with some big pasta tubes to stuff. While that’s boiling, put two tablespoons of butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat until it’s melted, then cook the green pepper and onion until it’s a little tender (but not brown).
Next, get out a big bowl and mix together the eggs, cottage cheese, half of the Parmesan cheese, marjoram, the peppers and onions, the tuna, and the vegetables you choose to use (we used peas).
Stir this up until it’s consistent. It’ll be moist but not watery.
Then, just stuff the manicotti shells with this mixture and lay them in a lightly greased 9″ by 13″ pan. You’ll have plenty to fill up each manicotti tube.
When we finished stuffing, our pan looked like this:
Now, for the cheese sauce on top.
We just melted three tablespoons of butter or margarine over medium heat, then mixed in the flour, salt, and a dash of pepper until it became thick and almost doughy. We then poured in all of the milk and stirred it until it was evenly thick, like a thick soup. We then added the cheese and kept stirring the sauce until it was all melted, looking something like this:
Once it’s melted, we just poured it over the manicotti, sprinkled the remaining Parmesan on top, covered the pan with aluminum foil, and stuck it in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350 F (180 C).
Our pan looked wonderful when we pulled it out of the oven:
We chose to serve it with a spinach salad and with a simple frozen fruit salad on the side. The fruit salad was really easy – we just mixed together some miscellaneous fruits we had laying around (quartered grapes, coconut, and some celery were the key ones) along with some peach-flavored yogurt. We poured this mixture into cupcake shells and froze them, popping them out just before the meal. It was a wonderful summery side.
Our family loved this. My four year old son actually ate more manicotti than I did (he ate one and a half pieces to my single one). When we pulled it out again to have for leftovers the next day, the kids actually started cheering (and I did, too – it was delicious).
This is just all-around a wonderful dish – it’s priced right, is quite flavorful, and is easy to make (you can do all of it the night before, stick it in the fridge, and just bake it the next day if you want).
Continue reading Summer Meal Series #7: Tuna, Vegetable, and Cheese Stuffed Manicotti …
From The Simple Dollar.
Give spring a little zing
photo by simply carolina dreamz
Rhubarb is an old-fashioned favorite. It gives and gives. The leaves are toxic, but the stalks lend themselves well to desserts. It can be chopped and frozen in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Enjoy the first fruit of the season with the following recipes.
Easy Rhubarb Cake
1 yellow box-cake mix
3 cups rhubarb
1 cup sugar
dash of cinnamon
2 cups whipping cream
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix cake as directed on box, using a 9-by-13-inch pan. Mix rhubarb, sugar and cinnamon together and place on top of prepared cake. Pour whipping cream over the top of cake. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. — Startingover, e-mail
Rhubarb Blueberry Crunch
Fruit:
3 cups rhubarb
3 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oats
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
Cook’s note: Any fruit can be used. The amount of fruit is an approximation. Add sugar to taste depending on the tartness of your rhubarb and blueberries.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine rhubarb, blueberries, sugar and flour. Place mixture in a greased, oven-safe pan. Combine brown sugar, oats, and flour. Cut in butter/margarine and shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over fruit. Bake for 40 minutes. — Skip, Kentucky
Rhubarb Pie
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
dash salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup cream (or milk or half-and-half)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 unbaked pie crust
Mix all ingredients together and put into the unbaked piecrust. No top crust. Bake at 400 F for 50 minutes. — Cab54, Michigan
Rhubarb Crisp Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Topping:
2 cups quick or rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter/margarine, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon flour. Add rhubarb and toss to coat; set aside. Melt the butter in a 2-quart casserole dish or other deep baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and baking powder. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. Pour the batter over the melted butter and spread gently so that butter stays on the bottom. Arrange the rhubarb in an even layer on top of the batter. (This is easier said than done. It’s not a big deal if some of the butter comes up over the cake batter, because it will — the cake still turns out OK — just try not to mix the two layers too much.)
Mix the oats, brown sugar and melted butter/margarine in a small bowl until blended. Using your fingers, crumble the topping over the rhubarb, leaving open areas of rhubarb so the cake batter can rise up through between areas of topping. You could even get creative with this and make a design with the topping and open areas. See what the cake batter will do when you give it room to rise.
Bake in the preheated oven until batter has risen up through the fruit and the top is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Test with a long skewer to see whether cake is cooked through. Let cool before serving. — Sue. Michigan
Continue reading Give spring a little zing …
From Frugal Village.
Give spring a little zing
photo by simply carolina dreamz
Rhubarb is an old-fashioned favorite. It gives and gives. The leaves are toxic, but the stalks lend themselves well to desserts. It can be chopped and frozen in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Enjoy the first fruit of the season with the following recipes.
Easy Rhubarb Cake
1 yellow box-cake mix
3 cups rhubarb
1 cup sugar
dash of cinnamon
2 cups whipping cream
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix cake as directed on box, using a 9-by-13-inch pan. Mix rhubarb, sugar and cinnamon together and place on top of prepared cake. Pour whipping cream over the top of cake. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. — Startingover, e-mail
Rhubarb Blueberry Crunch
Fruit:
3 cups rhubarb
3 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oats
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
Cook’s note: Any fruit can be used. The amount of fruit is an approximation. Add sugar to taste depending on the tartness of your rhubarb and blueberries.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine rhubarb, blueberries, sugar and flour. Place mixture in a greased, oven-safe pan. Combine brown sugar, oats, and flour. Cut in butter/margarine and shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over fruit. Bake for 40 minutes. — Skip, Kentucky
Rhubarb Pie
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
dash salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup cream (or milk or half-and-half)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 unbaked pie crust
Mix all ingredients together and put into the unbaked piecrust. No top crust. Bake at 400 F for 50 minutes. — Cab54, Michigan
Rhubarb Crisp Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Topping:
2 cups quick or rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter/margarine, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon flour. Add rhubarb and toss to coat; set aside. Melt the butter in a 2-quart casserole dish or other deep baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and baking powder. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. Pour the batter over the melted butter and spread gently so that butter stays on the bottom. Arrange the rhubarb in an even layer on top of the batter. (This is easier said than done. It’s not a big deal if some of the butter comes up over the cake batter, because it will — the cake still turns out OK — just try not to mix the two layers too much.)
Mix the oats, brown sugar and melted butter/margarine in a small bowl until blended. Using your fingers, crumble the topping over the rhubarb, leaving open areas of rhubarb so the cake batter can rise up through between areas of topping. You could even get creative with this and make a design with the topping and open areas. See what the cake batter will do when you give it room to rise.
Bake in the preheated oven until batter has risen up through the fruit and the top is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Test with a long skewer to see whether cake is cooked through. Let cool before serving. — Sue. Michigan
Continue reading Give spring a little zing …
From Frugal Village.
Give spring a little zing
photo by simply carolina dreamz
Rhubarb is an old-fashioned favorite. It gives and gives. The leaves are toxic, but the stalks lend themselves well to desserts. It can be chopped and frozen in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Enjoy the first fruit of the season with the following recipes.
Easy Rhubarb Cake
1 yellow box-cake mix
3 cups rhubarb
1 cup sugar
dash of cinnamon
2 cups whipping cream
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix cake as directed on box, using a 9-by-13-inch pan. Mix rhubarb, sugar and cinnamon together and place on top of prepared cake. Pour whipping cream over the top of cake. Bake 40 to 45 minutes. — Startingover, e-mail
Rhubarb Blueberry Crunch
Fruit:
3 cups rhubarb
3 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup oats
1-1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
Cook’s note: Any fruit can be used. The amount of fruit is an approximation. Add sugar to taste depending on the tartness of your rhubarb and blueberries.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine rhubarb, blueberries, sugar and flour. Place mixture in a greased, oven-safe pan. Combine brown sugar, oats, and flour. Cut in butter/margarine and shortening until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture over fruit. Bake for 40 minutes. — Skip, Kentucky
Rhubarb Pie
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
1-1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
dash salt
4 eggs
1/2 cup cream (or milk or half-and-half)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 unbaked pie crust
Mix all ingredients together and put into the unbaked piecrust. No top crust. Bake at 400 F for 50 minutes. — Cab54, Michigan
Rhubarb Crisp Cake
2 cups sugar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 cups diced rhubarb
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
Topping:
2 cups quick or rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter/margarine, melted
Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon flour. Add rhubarb and toss to coat; set aside. Melt the butter in a 2-quart casserole dish or other deep baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and baking powder. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. Pour the batter over the melted butter and spread gently so that butter stays on the bottom. Arrange the rhubarb in an even layer on top of the batter. (This is easier said than done. It’s not a big deal if some of the butter comes up over the cake batter, because it will — the cake still turns out OK — just try not to mix the two layers too much.)
Mix the oats, brown sugar and melted butter/margarine in a small bowl until blended. Using your fingers, crumble the topping over the rhubarb, leaving open areas of rhubarb so the cake batter can rise up through between areas of topping. You could even get creative with this and make a design with the topping and open areas. See what the cake batter will do when you give it room to rise.
Bake in the preheated oven until batter has risen up through the fruit and the top is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Test with a long skewer to see whether cake is cooked through. Let cool before serving. — Sue. Michigan
Continue reading Give spring a little zing …
From Frugal Village.
Go bananas!
photo used by permission from Jen at BeantownBaker.com
Don’t toss overripe bananas away. They’re great in smoothies, pancakes, mixed into oatmeal or combined with yogurt and frozen for a refreshing treat. What is your favorite way to use them up? Here are four easy desserts.
Banana Bars
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
cream cheese or vanilla frosting (homemade or 1 to 2 containers store-bought, depending on how thick you want the frosting)
chopped nuts (for garnish if desired).
Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, bananas and vanilla. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture and beat well. Pour into a greased 15-by-10-by-1-inch or 2 5-by-9-inch baking pan(s). Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes or until bars test done. Cool. Frost with cream cheese or vanilla frosting and nuts. — Kim, Alabama
Banana Bread Trifle
1 loaf banana bread, prepared (homemade or box mix)
1 package vanilla instant pudding
2 cups milk
3 ripe bananas
1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping, thawed
Bake bread. Let cool. Split loaf in half and crumble half the loaf in bottom of a medium bowl. Then prepare pudding with the 2 cups of milk. Spread half of pudding over crumbled bread. Slice bananas and spread half over pudding. Top bananas with half of whipped topping. Repeat the same process in the same order over the top. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 8 large servings. — Olive, Texas
Easy Banana Cookies
3 bananas
2 cups uncooked oatmeal
1/3 cup applesauce
vanilla, optional
Preheat oven to 350 F. Mash bananas. In medium bowl, stir together mashed bananas, oatmeal, applesauce and if desired, a splash of vanilla. Mix well, and let sit for 15 minutes. Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheet. They will not spread like flour cookies. Push them flat with a fork (much like you do with peanut butter cookies). Bake for 20 minutes. You can also add dried fruit, such as raisins or chocolate chips, for added flavor. — Sarah, Illinois
Bananas Foster Snickerdoodles
1 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon brandy extract
1/2 teaspoon rum extract
2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed banana
2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 F. In a mixer bowl, cream butter and 1-1/2 cups sugar; add the eggs and extracts; beat well. Sift the flour, cream of tartar, salt and baking soda; add to butter mixture. Mix all ingredients thoroughly; add banana, and mix well. In small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon; stir to blend. Shape rounded teaspoonful of dough into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake near center of 400 F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned; do not overbake. Let cool on wire rack and store in airtight container. — Cheryl, Washington
Continue reading Go bananas! …
From Frugal Village.
Make breakfast after sunset
photo by Rickard Berggren
Breakfast for dinner is a popular frugal meal. But sometimes serving plain old eggs and toast doesn’t go over well at the dinner hour. Adding sides such as yogurt, hash browns, oatmeal, cheese, fruit, biscuits or bagels can make a simple egg meal more appealing. When that stops working, it’s time to add an element of surprise. The following recipes aren’t expensive and can round off your “evening breakfast” plan, so everyone looks forward to it anytime of day.
Mini Cinnamon Rolls
Rolls
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cans refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations dough (or crescent-roll dough)
Icing
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon half-and-half or milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Stir together the butter, brown sugar, sugar and cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll the dough with the long side facing you. Spread half the butter mixture over the dough. Roll up starting with the long side in a jellyroll fashion. Cut the log into about 12 slices. Depending on how big you cut the slices, you may have more or less. Place into a greased 8-inch cake pan. Repeat with the other can of dough. Bake at 375 F for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Cool five to 10 minutes. Stir together the icing ingredients, and drizzle over warm rolls. Makes at least two-dozen rolls. — Nancy, Virginia
Doughnut Muffins
Cream the following ingredients in a large bowl:
1-3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil
3 eggs
1-1/4 cups milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
In a separate bowl, mix:
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
For topping:
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Combine the ingredients, and mix; don’t overmix. Spoon into greased muffin tins, each two-thirds full. Bake at 375 F for 16 to 20 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. While still warm, dip the top of each muffin in melted margarine or butter and then in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Makes two dozen. — Tina, Canada
Gingerbread Waffles
2 cups flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
dash cloves or allspice
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup molasses
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, and set aside. In a small bowl, beat the eggs well. Beat in the buttermilk, molasses and oil until well blended. Make a well in the flour mixture, and add the wet ingredients. Mix until just barely combined. Pour the batter into a hot, greased waffle iron, and cook. Makes six large waffles. — Denise, Illinois
Applesauce Pancakes
3/4 cup white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup dry milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons applesauce
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup apple juice
Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until combined. Heat an electric fry pan or griddle at about 225 F, and lightly spray with cooking spray. Pour circles of 1/4 cup of batter onto a hot griddle. Adjust heat if necessary. Flip when bubbles appear on the surface. Makes 12 pancakes. — Constance, New Jersey
Continue reading Make breakfast after sunset …
From Frugal Village.
Hawaiian Sausage Casserole Recipe
Hawaiian Sausage Casserole Recipe
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in juice — drained
1 (16 oz) can whole sweet potatoes; drained and cut into 1/2″ slices
3/4 pound smoked sausage — sliced
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
Drain the pineapple chunks, reserving the juice. Add enough water to the juice to measure [...]
Continue reading Hawaiian Sausage Casserole Recipe …
From Frugal Simplicity.
Super Easy Biscuits
I have to say these sounds so yummy! I can’t wait to try them! Tawra
From: Teresa
I have a frugal recipe for biscuits (and my
family likes them better than any others I have
tried.
Super Easy Biscuits
1 cup whipping cream (not heavy)
2 cups self-rising flour (I use White Lily)
Preheat oven to 500°F.
Spray baking dish with cooking spray (like Pam)
Mix just until blended (not too much). Turn the
dough out on a flour dusted surface and knead 4
or 5 times. Roll dough out then cut into
biscuits. Place in the sprayed pan and bake at
500°F for 7 to 10 minutes (depending on your
oven.) These are so fluffy and moist!
These biscuits rise ALOT, so don’t make them too
big. We make these in a Dutch oven over coals
when camping.
Breakfast Casserole
(Pizza)
Biscuit Dough from above
Your amount of bacon, sausage or ham
8 to 10 eggs
2 or 3 cups shredded cheese (pizza-mix cheese is
good)
Cooking spray
Cook the meat
Scramble eggs
Spray casserole dish with cooking spray
(I line the pan with aluminum foil, then spray it)
Make biscuit dough as above but instead of
cutting, roll it out to fit a 9 x 13 casserole
dish. (fold into thirds to transfer it to dish)
Place in dish. Spread a thin layer of butter or
margarine over dough.
Cover with scrambled eggs, crumble meat on top,
then sprinkle shredded cheese over the whole
thing.Place in 500°F oven for 7 to 10 minutes
(just to bake the biscuit dough.)
Experiment with this, we like more eggs than meat
in this, you make like it better the other way
around.
Continue reading Super Easy Biscuits …
From Living On A Dime Blog » Living On A Dime Blog.
Cooking With Your Crockpot – 5 Ingredients Or Less
Hi there… Susanne – aka the Hillbilly Housewife is back and today I’m going to share some crockpot recipes with you. I just love cooking with that simple appliance. I add my ingredients, turn it on and go about my day. By the time dinner comes around the food is cooked and ready to serve. Since the theme this week is to keep things simple, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite crockpot recipes with you that use 5 ingredients or less. Here they are:
Creamy Cheesy Broccoli Soup
• 2 1/2 lbs fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 Tblsp. butter or margarine
• Water – just enough to cover the broccoli in crock pot.
• 2 Cups skim milk
• 1/2 Cup medium cheddar cheese, cut into cubes or shredded
Trim and wash the broccoli, removing any tough stalks, and cutting the remaining stalks into small pieces and the florettes into bite size pieces.
Place the chopped broccoli into the crock pot.
Dot the butter or margarine over the broccoli.
Fill the crock pot with just enough water to cover the broccoli pieces.
Cover and cook on High for 2 hours.
Pour in the milk, cover and continue cooking 30 minutes.
Stir in the cheese, cover and continue cooking 20 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted into the soup.
Easy Family Style Pork Ribs
• 4 lbs. Pork ribs, your choice either country style or standard rack
• 1 (15 oz) can chicken stock or broth
• 1 (40 oz) bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
Preheat your broiler. Place the rack of ribs 6 inches from the heat and broil about 6 minutes or until lightly browned, then turn and broil 6 more minutes or until lightly browned on both sides.
Remove from oven and place in crock pot.
Pour the chicken stock in the crock pot.
Pour the barbecue sauce into the crock pot.
Cook covered on Low for 5 to 6 hours or until the meat falls off the bones when you take a fork to it.
Crockpot Chicken
• One Whole Chicken
• Chicken Broth (or water and a few chicken bouillon cubes)
• Vegetable scraps (onion, carrot, celery) – optional
Put your chicken in the crockpot and cover it with broth. Add your veggie scraps. I just dig through my fridge and add anything that will add flavor to the chicken. I almost always have half an onion sitting in the fridge and a carrot or two. Just roughly chop them and add them to the crockpot to give the chicken and the broth extra flavor. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for about 6 hours until the meat falls of the bone. Take the chicken out, remove the bones and use the meat over rice, in soups, casseroles and to make chicken salad. I also like to skim the fat of the chicken stock and use it to make chicken noodle or chicken and rice soup. Just pour the broth in a pot, add a handful of rice or some noodles and a little of the shredded chicken and boil until the noodles or rice are tender.
For more delicious crockpot recipes visit HillbillyHousewife.com and to learn more about crockpot cooking, including how to chose one, care for one and my favorite – how to convert recipes into crockpot recipes – get a copy of my latest ebook “Crockpot Cooking Made Simple” .
Tomorrow I’ll have some simple homecooked dinner ideas that also use 5 ingredients or less for you.
Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife
http://www.HillbillyHousewife.com
P.S. Please remember that the main reason I’m on this blog tour is to support Breast Cancer Awareness. 20% of all ebook – including my brand new Crockpot Cooking Made Simple ebook – and HBHW Club membership profits will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation
Continue reading Cooking With Your Crockpot – 5 Ingredients Or Less …
From Econobusters.
Cooking With Your Crockpot – 5 Ingredients Or Less
Hi there… Susanne – aka the Hillbilly Housewife is back and today I’m going to share some crockpot recipes with you. I just love cooking with that simple appliance. I add my ingredients, turn it on and go about my day. By the time dinner comes around the food is cooked and ready to serve. Since the theme this week is to keep things simple, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite crockpot recipes with you that use 5 ingredients or less. Here they are:
Creamy Cheesy Broccoli Soup
• 2 1/2 lbs fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 Tblsp. butter or margarine
• Water – just enough to cover the broccoli in crock pot.
• 2 Cups skim milk
• 1/2 Cup medium cheddar cheese, cut into cubes or shredded
Trim and wash the broccoli, removing any tough stalks, and cutting the remaining stalks into small pieces and the florettes into bite size pieces.
Place the chopped broccoli into the crock pot.
Dot the butter or margarine over the broccoli.
Fill the crock pot with just enough water to cover the broccoli pieces.
Cover and cook on High for 2 hours.
Pour in the milk, cover and continue cooking 30 minutes.
Stir in the cheese, cover and continue cooking 20 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted into the soup.
Easy Family Style Pork Ribs
• 4 lbs. Pork ribs, your choice either country style or standard rack
• 1 (15 oz) can chicken stock or broth
• 1 (40 oz) bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
Preheat your broiler. Place the rack of ribs 6 inches from the heat and broil about 6 minutes or until lightly browned, then turn and broil 6 more minutes or until lightly browned on both sides.
Remove from oven and place in crock pot.
Pour the chicken stock in the crock pot.
Pour the barbecue sauce into the crock pot.
Cook covered on Low for 5 to 6 hours or until the meat falls off the bones when you take a fork to it.
Crockpot Chicken
• One Whole Chicken
• Chicken Broth (or water and a few chicken bouillon cubes)
• Vegetable scraps (onion, carrot, celery) – optional
Put your chicken in the crockpot and cover it with broth. Add your veggie scraps. I just dig through my fridge and add anything that will add flavor to the chicken. I almost always have half an onion sitting in the fridge and a carrot or two. Just roughly chop them and add them to the crockpot to give the chicken and the broth extra flavor. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for about 6 hours until the meat falls of the bone. Take the chicken out, remove the bones and use the meat over rice, in soups, casseroles and to make chicken salad. I also like to skim the fat of the chicken stock and use it to make chicken noodle or chicken and rice soup. Just pour the broth in a pot, add a handful of rice or some noodles and a little of the shredded chicken and boil until the noodles or rice are tender.
For more delicious crockpot recipes visit HillbillyHousewife.com and to learn more about crockpot cooking, including how to chose one, care for one and my favorite – how to convert recipes into crockpot recipes – get a copy of my latest ebook “Crockpot Cooking Made Simple” .
Tomorrow I’ll have some simple homecooked dinner ideas that also use 5 ingredients or less for you.
Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife
http://www.HillbillyHousewife.com
P.S. Please remember that the main reason I’m on this blog tour is to support Breast Cancer Awareness. 20% of all ebook – including my brand new Crockpot Cooking Made Simple ebook – and HBHW Club membership profits will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation
Continue reading Cooking With Your Crockpot – 5 Ingredients Or Less …
From Econobusters.