Thursday & Friday Dinners

Roast Turkey Breast

Thursday night I made what The Kid calls "Mini Thanksgiving" - roast turkey breast (brined, of course), Del Monte green beans with potatoes, cranberry sauce, and yeast rolls. And homemade gravy, Good God. I ran across a funny essay in a women's/mother's magazine a few years ago titled, "You Know You're Over 40 When..." The list item I most identified with is, "You have a definite position on how gravy should be made."

Well, I follow my mother's method for making gravy and can finally say - at 40-something years old - that mine comes close to hers. I always remember a line from the movie Twister, when referring to the aunt of Helen Hunt's character: "[her] gravy is legendary. It's practically a food group." That's my mom's gravy and - hopefully - mine, too, one day.

Thursday Totals:

$5.85 - turkey
$1.25 - cranberry sauce
$1.25 - green beans w/ potatoes
.40 - yeast rolls

$8.75 for dinner for 4 (sister joined us), plus plenty of turkey, gravy and cranberry left over

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Because it is Lent (and, as I explained, other family members observe meatless Fridays), I cooked fish. It wasn't much of a hardship on me (although I sometimes pretend it is), because I love fish and will take any excuse to serve salmon. I coated fillets with Chef Prud'homme's Magic Salmon Seasoning (I've blogged before about this awesome stuff), and pan-fried them in a little olive oil until nicely browned. On the side we reheated some of the leftover ricotta-lemon-spinach spaghetti - and we still have plenty left, proving that the original recipe serves way more than 4. It was a bit dry, so I added in a drizzle of lemon juice and olive oil, and stirred in another spoonful of ricotta. That moistened it up nicely. I definitely think this dish works better as a side than as an entree.

Friday Totals:

$3 - salmon fillets (from Aldi - $3.99 for package of 4)
free - leftover pasta

$3 for dinner for 3

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Saturday we took a day-trip to the new Charlotte IKEA, so dinner was Swedish Meatballs, mashed potatoes, ligonberry jam, and assorted Swedish desserts (almond cake, Princess cake, and apple cake) in the IKEA cafe.

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I've been neglecting the Foodie blog lately and I'm sorry. I've been fortunate enough to take on a little temporary side work over the past few weeks and it's taken up a lot of my time and energy. Things should be getting back to normal as of this week, though - and I'll have both a fatter wallet and more time to cook, save money, and blog about it.

Peace.

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday

Spaghetti with Ricotta, Lemon & Spinach

Both spaghetti and ricotta cheese were on sale at Harris Teeter last week, and I had 1/2 a bag of fresh spinach and a few lemons to use up, so running across this recipe was serendipitous. It couldn't be more simple - boil spaghetti, drain, then toss the hot pasta with fresh spinach leaves, olive oil, a little of the pasta cooking water, and ricotta cheese to which you've added lemon zest, nutmeg, salt & pepper. (I added the juice of 1 lemon, too, although recipe didn't call for it.) The result was simple, tasty and good. I do think it's more of a spring/summer meal than a winter one, and I have a feeling we'll all be hungry again long before bedtime. So while I'll definitely be making this one again, I think I'll pair it with grilled chicken or shrimp next time.

Wednesday Totals:

.50 - spaghetti
$1 - 1/2 bag spinach
.75 - ricotta
.25 - lemon

$2.50 for dinner for 3 (with lots left over - recipe claims to serve 4 but I think it's more like 5 - 6)

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Monday and Tuesday dinners were nothing special because I was busy both days. Monday we had Wanchai Ferry (bag to skillet) Orange Chicken, and a box of frozen egg rolls. Both were purchased when Harris Teeter was doubling coupons up to $1.98, and I had a raincheck on the skillet dinner besides. Tuesday we just threw a couple of frozen pizzas in the oven - purchased BOGO + coupons.

Monday totals: $6.50 for dinner for 3

Tuesday totals: $4 for dinner for 3

Weekend Dinners

Curried Coconut Chicken

You know the story on this one. In a few months this dish has gone from a totally unfamiliar flavor profile to one of my family's favorite recipes. The Kid does a fist-pump whenever I mention this is what I'm cooking.

Sunday Totals:

$3 - 1.5 lbs boneless chicken breast
$1.39 - can coconut milk
.55 - can tomatoes
.40 - 2 cans tomato sauce
.25 - onion
.40 - rice (double my usual recipe)

$5.99 for dinner for 4 (sister joined us) plus 2 lunch servings left over

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The Kid was away Saturday night. I knew in advance that it would just be the 2 of us for dinner, so I had my eye out for a good deal on a dinner for 2. Sadler Smokehouse brand has a line of heat n' serve "dinner for 2" sold at Harris Teeter. These are meat & side dish combos, sold in the packaged meat case. They're pricey at $7.99 each, but I had a $1 off coupon that doubled last week. Plus there was an additional $3 markdown because they were short-dated (I don't think they're selling too well), so for $1.99 it was quite a deal.

We had the Country Style Ribs (boneless pork tenderloin in BBQ sauce) with white cheddar mashed potatoes. It was quite good, but this is one of those meals that means it when it says "serves 2." Some you can stretch into a 3rd serving - this one, you can't. On the side I opened a can of collard greens - an Aldi house brand I'd never tried before. The verdict: OK, but not worth the .20 - .30 savings over Margaret Holmes brand. Rounding out the meal were a couple of Sister Shubert's individual heat n' serve yeast rolls.

Saturday Totals:

$1.99 - Sadler BBQ pork entree w/ cheddar mash
.69 - collard greens
.35 - rolls

$3.03 for dinner for 2

Friday Dinner

Leftover baked spaghetti tonight (free), along with a box of garlic-cheese breadsticks I picked up BOGO + double coupon for 95 cents.

Thursday Dinner

I've been shopping Harris Teeter's Super Double Coupons every day this week. (Due to their limit of 20 per day, because I keep finding new online coupons to print, and because they've been out of items.) Anyway, that's also given me lots of opportunities to scour the meat department for markdowns and I've made some great finds. (And missed out on some, too. I saw a woman with her cart filled with yellow-stickered lamb shoulder roasts and ground lamb, but when I got back to the department I found she'd cleaned them out.) Thursday night we had one of those great markdown deals when I made steak fajitas with skirt steak marked more than 50% off.

To marinate the mean, I used a packet of McCormick Mesquite BBQ marinade (just add cider vinegar and oil) that I've had for just about forever. (Way back when, it was also an almost-free deal after triple coupons.) After marinating the whole steak for several hours, I grilled it on the George Foreman for about 4 minutes, then let rest for another 5 before slicing thinly against the grain. I served on heated flour tortillas with carmelized onions and roasted red peppers (from a jar, because it was what I had on hand). We passed salsa, sour cream (free after double coupons), shredded cheese and guacamole (free after double coupons) at the table. I had thought I had a can of refried beans in the pantry, but couldn't find it so I was left scrambling for a side dish. We ended up with just tortilla chips (.50 a bag after double coupons) and salsa.

Totals:

$2.25 - skirt steak
.15 - marinade
.50 - onions & peppers
.80 - tortillas
.50 - cheese
.20 - chips

$4.40 for dinner for 4 (sister joined us)

Wednesday Dinner

I don't abstain from meat for (Ash Wednesday and Fridays in) Lent, but other family members do, so I'll be cooking with them in mind during the season. Being Ash Wednesday, I planned in advance to serve fish. (And joked with my sister about it all week. I just typed the whole thing out then deleted it because it didn't translate into funny. I guess you had to be there.)

Harris Teeter recently had Gorton's Grilled Fillets BOGO and I had several coupons for them besides. It's HT's weird policy to only allow 1 coupon when buying 2 BOGO items (even though they ring up half price each, not 1 full price and 1 free). Some stores really enforce this, others don't. But since I saw on the shelf tag that the sale was good for 2 weeks, I just bought 1 box each on 2 separate trips and used a coupon each time. The end price was $2.25 for 2 boxes, 4 fillets total. Now I'm a little freaked out by the perfectly (unnaturally) square fish, but it's my understanding that's just the way it's cut (as opposed to being a "fish cake" of fish and by-products compressed together into that shape). At any rate, I've had many of the varieties of this product over the years (lemon, grilled, blackened, etc.) and I've always liked the flavor.

This one was no exception - we had the Signature Grilled Tilapia and it was very good. On the side I made steamed white rice, hollandaise (from a mix), and roasted fresh asparagus. Saints be praised, it's almost asparagus season! The regular prices are still high unless there's a sale (Lowe's Food had it $1.49/lb last week), but the quality is definitely that of in-season (tender, mild, sweet) as opposed to off-season (tough, strong, bitter). 99 cent a pound is just around the corner!

Wednesday Totals:

$2.25 - grilled tilapia
.20 - rice
$1.49 - asparagus
$1.50 - hollandaise mix + 1/2 stick butter

$5.44 for dinner for 4

Tuesday Dinner

As I've mentioned before, Tuesday is one of my busier days. That's where my stockpiling comes in handy, because I have quick meals ready to go without any thought or effort. (I avoid making "Express Lane" dinner runs like the plague.) Tonight's dinner was good but nothing special - just baked spaghetti (pasta & jarred sauce, topped with cheese) and frozen garlic bread.

Tuesday Totals:

$1 - spaghetti
.66 - jar of Ragu (purchased during sale + triple coupons)
$1.50 - shredded mozzarella
$1 - frozen garlic bread (double coupons)

$4.16 for dinner for 4 (sister joined us) plus 4+ servings spaghetti left over

Monday Dinner

Honey-Soy Glazed Pork Chops, Corn-Edamame Succotash, Yeast Roll

Here's my recipe for the easiest, most awesome glaze for pork ever. Ready? 3 parts soy sauce, 2 parts honey, 1 part balsamic vinegar. That's it. Seriously. The end result is so much more flavorful, rich and complex than you'd expect from 3 simple ingredients. (I use Tablespoons to make the sauce, which makes the perfect amount for 4 chops, but you can make as much or as little as you need as long as you keep the proportions the same.)

I brined the boneless chops in much the same way that I brine a turkey. I used most of the same ingredients, but I did it for a much shorter amount of time. (About 1/4 cup each Kosher salt and brown sugar, 1 t. black peppercorns and 1 bay leaf in 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cool down with 3 - 4 cups of ice cubes. Strain into a large ziploc bag w/ chops and let brine for 4 hours.) Then I patted the chops dry and seared them in a hot pan with a little oil, cooking for about 4 minutes on each side before pouring on the glaze. I cooked for another minute or two, then served.

On the side I served yeast rolls (frozen, packaged, on sale), and Corn-Edamame Succotash - a recipe from Smithfield. One important note - I didn't have fresh thyme but substituted dried instead. Next time, I'll leave the herbage out of the succotash altogether. I thought it was overpowering and not a good compliment to the rest of the flavors. It almost ruined the dish for me. As it was, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as (I suspect) I would have without it.

Totals:

$3.45 - boneless center-cut pork chops (Aldi)
$1.70 - corn and edamame (1 frozen bag of each after BOGO + coupon)
.40 - rolls (BOGO + double coupon)
.50 - remaining ingredients

$6.05 for dinner for 4 (sister joined us)

Wednesday & Thursday Dinners

Salmon-Potato Cakes over fresh spinach
homemade honey-wheat bread

I make this dish more often in warm weather, but I had a taste for it this week.

Salmon-Potato Cakes

1 can salmon, drained, skin & large bones removed, flaked
2 - 3 cups cold prepared mashed potatoes (can use leftover homemade or instant from a mix)
1 egg
Garlic salt, pepper, dill, celery seed to taste
bread crumbs
oil for frying

Combine salmon, mashed potatoes, egg and seasonings and mix well. Form into patties and coat in breadcrumbs. Cook in about 1/8th inch oil in hot skillet about 3 minutes per side, or until browned and crispy. Don't over-crowd pan - cook in batches, adding more oil to pan between batches if necessary.

To serve, place 2 - 3 cakes over fresh greens and drizzle with salad dressing of your choice. We really like Kraft Tangy Tomato-Bacon on this, but honey mustard is also quite good.

Note: Flavored instant mashed potatoes, such as roasted garlic or sour cream & chives, work well in this recipe. If using instant, decrease amount of water called for in directions by about 1/4 cup. But make sure the potatoes are cold and stiff - the cakes won't hold together if potatoes are hot and fluffy.

Wednesday Totals:

$2 - can salmon
$1 - 1/2 bag spinach
free - packet instant garlic mashed potatoes (free after triple coupons)
$1 - remaining ingredients (including ingredients for bread machine loaf)

$4 - dinner for 4 (sister joined us), plus 1/2 loaf bread left over

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I read in one of those "quickie dinner" articles that a great shortcut broccoli & cheese soup could be made by combining canned cream of potato soup, milk, frozen broccoli and shredded cheese. I was pressed for time last night, so I thought I'd give it a try. The verdict: they lied. It was edible, but nothing I'd make again. My homemade broccoli-cheese soup still reigns supreme. (I think it might have been better if I'd used just plain ol' Campbell's cream of potato soup, which I like. Instead, I used their fancier Select Harvest potato w/ roasted garlic. I tasted the soup out of the can and didn't like it then, so that should have given me an indication that I wouldn't like the final version.)

On the side we had grilled turkey- pepperjack sandwiches on the last of the homemade wheat bread. The soup may have sucked, but these rocked.

Thursday Totals:

$1.45 - 2 cans Select Harvest potato w/ roasted garlic soup (BOGO + double coupon)
.50 - bag frozen broccoli (BOGO + double coupon)
.75 - 1/2 bag shredded cheddar
free - wheat bread (accounted for last night)
$1 - smoked turkey lunchmeat
.40 - pepperjack cheese

$4.10 for dinner for 3, with lots of soup leftover (oh joy)

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I'm out of town this weekend, but should be back in the kitchen by Sunday or Monday.

Monday & Tuesday Dinners

Turkey Fajitas

It was a busy weekend for us filled with a concert and Super Bowl parties, but I was back in the kitchen Monday.

Last fall I ran across a great markdown deal on Tequila-Lime marinated turkey tenderloins ($1.25 apiece), so I bought all they had. I roasted one whole in the oven (according to package directions) and it was just so-so. We ate it, but nobody was really looking forward to having it again. Consequently, the rest have been sitting in my freezer, waiting for me to figure out something better to do with them.

I decided to try them in fajitas, so here's what I did: I cut the marinated turkey into 1" cubes and sliced a yellow onion into strips. I sauteed them both together in about 1T oil using a nonstick pan over high heat. I was able to get a nice brown/sear on the meat, which I think made a big difference in the taste. I served in heated flour tortillas with black beans, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and guacamole. (Wholly Guacamole - from the produce section - frequently offers $1 off coupons, making the 8 oz. package free when Harris Teeter has super doubles. It freezes well unopened, so I stock up when this happens.)

The verdict: all the rest of the Tequila-Lime Turkey Tenderloins in my freezer are now destined to become fajitas. This was a really good meal, and didn't taste at all like something I was trying to use up.

Monday Totals:

$1.25 - turkey tenderloin
.20 - onion
.80 - black beans
.70 - tortillas
.55 - 1/2 package shredded cheese (BOGO sale + coupon)
free - guacamole

$3.50 for dinner for 4 (sister joined us), with leftover turkey & black beans for a lunch serving

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Tuesday was a busy day for me, shopping and running errands in the cold rain. I didn't get home until late and I wasn't in much of a cooking mood. Good thing I had several heat n' serve dinner options, so I was able to get dinner on the table in about 15 minutes. As a bonus, the only dishes I had to wash were the plates we ate from.

Tuesday Totals:

$3 - Hormel meat loaf (rain check + coupon)
.80 - Birdseye steam-in-the-bag broccoli & cheese (BOGO + doubled coupon)
free - Birdseye steam-in-the-bag red potatoes in butter-chive sauce (eVic special for .99, but .50 doubled coupon made it free)

$3.80 for dinner for 3

NOTE: I wouldn't get the Birdseye potatoes again. They were simultaneously mushy and undercooked, and the sauce was just weird. We all ate 2 bites then left the rest on our plates. I even threw out the leftovers, and I ALWAYS save leftovers, y'all. Oh well, good thing it was free.

Weeknight Dinners

Spaghetti Bolognese

My quest for the perfect Bolognese sauce continues. Yesterday I spent the better part of the day making this version from Emeril Lagasse, which I served over spaghetti, with garlic breadsticks on the side. Verdict: very good, but something is still eluding me. Many years ago I had what I consider to be the best Bolognese sauce I ever tasted at Olive Garden, of all places. They took it off the menu soon after and it stayed gone for several years. When it came back, it wasn't the same sauce at all - I know, because I tried it and also made the recipe they now post on their website. So I'll keep looking and trying various recipes, although not too often because it's a pricey - not to mention labor-intensive - dish.

It's a dish with a long list of ingredients that I'm not going to price out one by one, but I estimate the pot cost me about $7 with bought-on-sale ingredients like eVic ground chuck and B2G3 free bacon. At full price, it probably would have been $12 - $14. At least it makes a lot - I was able to serve 4, send a plastic container home with my sister, and still have another 4 - 6 servings left over.

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Tonight I tried a new-to-me Trader Joe's dish - Saucy Scallops with Peas and Mushrooms. It's exactly what it sounds like - frozen scallops, peas and sliced mushrooms in a creamy cheese sauce. I served it over rice, with a loaf of Trader Joe's beer bread (from mix) on the side. The verdict: as always, the beer bread stole the show. But in this case, it wasn't difficult. The scallop dish was bland and blah. We ate it, but it was nothing special and I won't be buying it again.

Totals:

$4.99 - scallop dish
$3 - beer bread ($1.99 mix + beer & butter)
.20 - rice

$8.19 for dinner for 4 (sister joined us), plus 1/2 loaf beer bread left over

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Note: I didn't post about Wednesday's dinner because it was a freebie - we ate a late lunch out and nobody was terribly hungry, so we picked at leftovers.

Monday & Tuesday Dinners

Mexican Lasagna

While poking around the kitchen on Monday, trying to decide what to cook for dinner, I realized I had all the ingredients for Mexican Lasagna. This is one of my oldest recipes. It started out as something I tore out of a magazine, but then I lost the clipping and had to re-create it from memory. I've been making it "my" way for 10 years or more, to the point where I can do it with my eyes closed. It's also my go-to dish when I need to send a meal over to a neighbor or friend (death, illness, new baby, etc.) or bring to a potluck. I'm always, always, always asked for the recipe.


GSO Foodie's Mexican Lasagna

1 lb. ground turkey
1 15 oz. can corn, drained
1 t. chili powder
1 16 oz. can tomato sauce
1 16 oz. jar mild salsa (or 2 cups)
9 uncooked lasagna noodles (about 1/2 box)
1 8 oz. package shredded Cheddar or Mexican Blend cheese

Brown turkey, drain fat if necessary (I never need to). Add corn, chili powder, tomato sauce and salsa, and cook, stirring frequently, until hot and bubbly.

Pour about 1/2 cup into bottom of 9 x 13 baking pan, just enough to coat the bottom. Place 3 lasagna noodles on top, making sure they don't touch each other or the sides of the pan. You will think there's way too much room around them, but that's OK. Spoon over 1/3 of remaining sauce (make sure noodles are completely covered with sauce) then sprinkle on 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat layers 2 more times, ending with cheese on top. Cover baking dish tightly with a large piece of foil that you've sprayed on the underside with nonstick cooking spray (so the cheese won't stick). Bake at 350 for 1 hour, then remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more. (Run it under the broiler for a minute or two if you like a crispy top.) Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Pass sour cream at the table.

This dish isn't as rich or heavy as traditional lasagna, so you'll probably get 6 - 8 generous servings from a pan. It's even better reheated the next day.

Monday totals:

$1.19 - ground turkey (from Aldi)
.33 - can corn (HT 3/$1 sale)
.75 - 1/2 box lasagna noodles
.40 - tomato sauce (8 oz. cans 5/$1 at HT)
$1.26 - 2/3 of 24 oz. jar of salsa from Aldi
$1.10 - bag Sargento shredded cheese (BOGO + $1 coupon from HT)

$5.03 for a full pan of lasagna (Served 4 at dinner because sister joined us, with lots of leftovers for lunch)

NOTE: You don't have to spend more on "no boil" lasagna noodles because you don't have to boil ANY of them if you follow the steps I laid out. They'll cook perfectly in the liquid from the sauce and the steam it creates.

NOTE #2: Ground turkey sold in frozen chubs (plastic tubes) is usually much cheaper than fresh in the meat case. Aldi and Walmart both sell it this way, for under $1.50/lb.

NOTE #3: Never use aluminum foil to store tomato dishes. The acid in the tomato sauce can eat right through the foil after a few days.

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Tuesday I just heated up a bag of Trader Joe's BBQ Teriyaki Chicken, steamed some white rice, and made a steam-in-the-microwave bag of edamame.

Tuesday Totals:

$4.99 - Teriyaki chicken
.20 - white rice
.60 - edamame (BOGO + doubled coupon)

$5.79 for dinner for 3

Sunday Dinner

Gnocchi with Bacon, Mushrooms, Peas and Gorgonzola

Finally, I have a decent dinner photo to post. This dish is an offshoot of one I usually make when I have leftover ham. In fact, I bought the gnocchi on a Trader Joe's shopping trip before the holidays, anticipating having leftover ham from Christmas dinner. Long story short, I didn't. But I thought I'd be able to make a similar dish with bacon instead, so that's what I tried.

I started out by dicing 4 slices of bacon and setting them to brown in my large skillet. When they were about halfway cooked, I threw in 1/2 of a large shallot, diced, that was leftover from a meal last week. After cooking for a few more minutes, I spooned out the excess fat, then added 8 oz. of sliced mushrooms (also leftover from a dinner last week).

As the bacon/shallot/mushroom mixture was cooking, I was also boiling water for my gnocchi. Unfortunately, everything sort of came to a head all at once and the bacon/shallot/mushroom mixture ended up a little overcooked and dry. I salvaged it by adding a splash of chicken broth to moisten it back up before tossing in my drained, cooked gnocchi. (That's why the pasta-potato dumplings have such a browned color.) I poured in 1/2 a bag of frozen peas and heated through. To finish, I seasoned to taste with salt & pepper, then sprinkled over about 1 oz. gorgonzola cheese crumbles. The cheese got all melted and creamy, and almost gave the dish a saucy consistency.

Next time, I'll try to time things a little better (and use lower heat under my bacon & shallot mixture), but I can't complain about the results at all. Delish!

Totals:

$1.99 - gnocchi
.50 - 1/2 package frozen peas
$1.49 - mushrooms
$1 - bacon, cheese, shallot

$4.98 for dinner for 3

Another Dessert

I'd post a photo of the fabulous dessert I made over the weekend, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. The recipe contains a photo, though, so you'll see one on that site.

Decadent Peanut Butter Pie

This is a definite keeper - so rich and delicious, but quick, easy and relatively inexpensive.