Tuesday & Wednesday Dinners

Curried Coconut Chicken

Tuesday night was our new favorite, Curried Coconut Chicken. Harris Teeter had a great price on fresh boneless chicken breasts, and I already had everything else on hand, including a can of coconut milk with only 1/2 cup used because I made Banana Tres Leches Dessert for Thanksgiving. (Hint: use Cool Whip or whipped cream to top the cake, not frosting as called for in original recipe.)

Totals:

$2.33 - chicken
$1.19 - coconut milk
.20 - tomato sauce
.50 - diced tomatoes
.20 - rice
.20 - onion

$4.62 for dinner for 4 (sister joined us)


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Wednesday night we got caught in the big blackout. Our power went out around 1:45 this afternoon and stayed out until some time between 7pm and 8pm (while we were eating out).

Monday Dinner

Citrus Shrimp with rice and Sesame Broccoli

Monday's dinner was a replica of one I've made many times before (the photo is from a previous night, too). Here is my original recipe, based on one I got from a personal chef:

Citrus Shrimp and Sesame Broccoli

However, since I'm always tweaking my recipes based on need or whim, I didn't make it quite like usual last night.

First off, I had a whole 2-lb bag of shrimp that had been in my freezer for too long and needed to go. (Usually I just use 1/2 bag and save the rest.) Second, I didn't have any fresh oranges. Third, I was lazy after peeling a whole 2 lbs of shrimp and wanted as many shortcuts as possible after that. So instead of fresh garlic, I sprinkled the shrimp all over with garlic salt. Instead of fresh juice and zest from lemons and oranges, I just used OJ from the fridge. The result: almost (but not quite) as good as the original. Nobody complained, and I don't think anybody wondered "what was wrong" but I just didn't get all the raves and lip-smacking that usually accompany this dish. So I'll probably do it the "right" way when I have the time, but know this is an acceptable fall-back.

Totals:

$6 - shrimp (2 lbs)
.50 - broccoli (BOGO + double coupon)
.25- OJ

$6.75 for dinner for 3, with 2 full servings of everything left over.

Weekend Dinners

Friday night we ate out with friends.

Saturday was a busy day and I was exhausted and out of dinner ideas, so I relied on spaghetti, sauce from a jar, and frozen garlic bread. A ho-hum dinner if there ever was one.

Saturday totals:

.50 - spaghetti
$1 - Ragu sauce (sale + triple coupon)
.75 - 1/2 box garlic bread slices (double coupon)

$2.25 for dinner for 3


Sunday night I cooked some fresh bratwurst that I'd found marked down in the Harris Teeter butcher case for .84 (I got 2 packages at this price). I boiled the brats in a large skillet with a half-can of beer until all the liquid was gone, then let them brown. I served on potato buns with heated sauerkraut and spicy mustard, with onion-roasted potatoes on the side.

Sunday totals:

.84 - bratwurst
$1 - 1/2 package potato buns
.85 - can sauerkraut
.75 - package onion soup mix (for roasted potatoes)
.60 - about 2 lbs potatoes (purchased on sale for $2.99 for 10 lb bag)

$4.04 for dinner for 4 (sister joined us)

Great Deal Alert

E-Z peel raw shrimp is Buy 1, get 2 free this week (thru Tuesday) at Harris Teeter. The price works out to $2.99 per pound, which is as cheap as it ever gets. And you don't have to buy all three 2-lb bags to get this price. You can buy just one bag for $5.98 if you'd like - but I suggest you stock up because the price only goes this low 2 - 3 times per year. I'm thinking ahead to holiday dinners and parties!

Thursday Dinner

One of my all-time favorite dinners is fresh salmon, rice, roasted spring asparagus, and homemade hollandaise sauce. Tonight I made sort of a poor-man's, Thursday-night-in-winter version of that, with lemony salmon cakes, asparagus out-of-season, and hollandaise from a mix.

The salmon cakes were the best I've ever made, and a nice substitute for fillets. The fresh lemon made all the difference in the world. I just took 1 can salmon, drained and picked over, and added 2 eggs, the juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon, about 1 tsp. Chef Paul Prud'homme's Magic Salmon Seasoning, and enough breadcrumbs to bind it all together (about 1/2 - 2/3 cup). I pan-fried them in a little oil until brown and crispy, and kept warm in the oven until serving.

Although roasted asparagus is just about my favorite vegetable in the whole wide world, tonight's version was a disappointment. Even though I loved the off-season price ($1.29/lb at Lowes), I didn't love the off-season flavor. The stalks were bitter and strong, as opposed to sweet and mild, as they are in the spring. So I'm going to try to keep this in mind and resist any too-good-to-be-true pricing until the real asparagus season comes around in March and April.

For special occasions, I'll make an honest-to-goodness hollandaise from scratch, using the blender method. But that's just too time-consuming (as well as too rich and calorie-laden) for everyday meals. So I've become very fond of hollandaise from a mix. McCormick and Knorr both make a very decent mix that you can pick up right next to the chili seasoning and gravy packets. Tonight it was a lifesaver because I don't think I'd have been able to eat the asparagus without it (although it just made the salmon cakes and rice that much yummier).

Totals:

$2 - 1 can salmon
.50 - eggs, lemon, breadcrumbs
$1.29 - asparagus
.20 - rice
$1 - hollandaise mix
.25 - butter for hollandaise mix

$5.23 for dinner for 3, with 1 serving of everything left over for lunch tomorrow

Wednesday Dinner

Tonight's dinner was about using up some odds and ends before they had to be thrown out - 1/2 a bag of fresh spinach, gorzonzola crumbles, a can of french onion soup that got opened by mistake, french bread, etc.

I made French Onion soup topped with bread and gooey melted cheese - traditional "steak house" way. I served this with spinach salads topped with grilled chicken breasts, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and gorgonzola cheese crumbles. Everybody had their dressing of choice at the table (Bleu Cheese and Honey Mustard being my favorites for this salad.)

I was out of bottled marinade (which I only buy when free or nearly free after sale + coupons), so I whipped up my own with a little OJ, the juice from some canned pineapple (another fridge leftover I'll need to get to soon), garlic salt & Mrs. Dash. I marinated them all afternoon, and grilled them on the George Foreman for about 4 minutes. They were tender and delicious, without being too strongly seasoned on their own.

Totals:

$1 - French Onion soup (Progresso brand, .50/can after sale + coupons)
$1 - French Bread & mozzarella cheese
$1 - 1/2 bag fresh spinach (from Aldi)
$1.50 - chicken breasts (BOGO frozen bags from HT)
.50 - misc. salad toppings

$5 for dinner for 3

Tuesday Dinner

Tuesday is our busy day, and we don't get home until just before dinnertime. After looking through my freezer & fridge, I decided that steak was the quickest & easiest thing to make (after defrosting, of course).

I got the ribeyes on markdown at Harris Teeter for about $2 per steak. I seasoned them with garlic salt and Mrs. Dash, then grilled them on the George Foreman. While they were cooking, I sauteed up some fresh mushrooms in butter with fresh garlic, and a dash each of Worchestershire sauce and pepper. I also made package of instant mashed potatoes (loaded baked potato flavor - free after triple coupons), and threw a steamable bag of broccoli and cheese in the microwave. Dinner was on the table in about 20 minutes, with a minimum of fuss.

Totals:

$6 - ribeyes
$1.50 - mushrooms
.50 - broccoli & cheese (sale + double coupon)
free - mashed potatoes

$8 for dinner for 3