And that's not all. I was reading today where the cost of food is expected to rise between five and seven percent over the next year. Bakery products, dairy products, meat, fruit and vegetables, seafood, etc. Its all expected to increase.
What's more, the cost of eating out is expected to increase by six to eight percent. I think its pretty fair to say that we are all going to be affected by this to one degree or another. To that end I thought it would be fun this morning to share some of my penny pinching main dishes.
Dinner on a Dime. Hearty main dishes that will fill up empty bellies without draining your bank account! Delicious, easy to make and using a variety of ingredients, these are real family pleasers!
A delicious spin on an old family favorite with plenty of meat, sauce, pasta and vegetables. You can vary the cost depending on the meat you choose to use. Obviously ground steak will cost more than hamburger or ground turkey.
This is comfort food pure and simple. The pasta helps to stretch things and keeps everything nice and hearty. A bit of bread and some salad on the side and dinner is served!
A delicious potato casserole that I adapted from another site. I tried to cut down on the fat and make it a bit healthier.
With chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, ham (or Canadian bacon), cheese, spring onions. This is a real family pleaser.
This easy recipe for sausage and potatoes in the oven has to be one of my most popular recipes on here. It has had literally millions of views. No surprise there. This is a FABULOUS recipe.
I love sheet pan suppers. They are so quick and easy to make and when you are talking about smoked sausage and potatoes, DELICIOUS as well!
In this house we like to enjoy this with tinned baked beans! But any vegetable would work well on the side!
I really love meals like this. Economical, homey, comforting . . . I could eat like this every day of the week but I don't.
It is a real family pleaser all round. With a bit of salad and perhaps some crusty bread, its a real family pleaser. Don't ever underestimate the appeal of the occasional tin of Spam.
New, fresh and delicious. Exciting even! I added a quantity of lightly sautéed vegetables. Its amazing what you can put together using just a little bit of this and a little bit of that!
Beef, vegetables, rice and the perfect blend of seasonings. This is really quick, easy and incredibly tasty!
This has to be one of my all time favorite suppers. Its hearty and delicious and very simple to make.
I wish I could tell you how many times I have made this deliciously thick and hearty soup. If I had a nickel for every time, I'd be rich. Totally and utterly rich!
I adore roasted vegetables of any kind. Roasting helps to enhance the natural sweetness of any vegetable. I really love the caramelized edges and almost-stickiness to them that happens when you roast them. I am drooling here.
Add some toasted buns if you wish to tuck the sausage and peppers into, or bake a potato to have along side and you have a really delicious family dinner that nobody will turn their noses up at!
This is one of my absolute all time favourite chicken casseroles. Not only is is a great way to use up stale bread, but you can also use up leftover cooked chicken or even turkey, or you can cook chicken specifically just to use in it.
I love recipes like this. They may seem a bit old fashioned, but they are always delicious and you don't really need to buy in anything special to make them. Most of the time you will have everything you need right in the house to make them.
I usually poach chicken to use in this recipe. You can also use leftover cooked roast chicken or the leftovers from a rotisserie chicken.
Not only is this delicious but it's really quick to make as well. Once you have all of the vegetables chopped, it goes together lickety split. There's nothing too out of the ordinary here . . . bacon, cabbage, onions . . . a couple of cheeses . . . dried herbs, and some chicken stock and that's basically it!
This always goes down a real treat with some crusty bread, or crackers, or even a fresh batch of biscuits on the side!
We eat a lot of chicken in this house, and I have a bazillion ways of making it tasty. This dish is soft of like an oven baked pilaf.
Nice and garlicky and filled with lots of bits of chicken . . . . and don't hate me . . . cheese.
TEN TIPS FOR PLANNING MEALS ON A BUDGET
1. Shop the fliers and plan out your menus before going shopping. Stick to the list.
2. Plan at least one meatless meal a week. Lentils, beans, peas, eggs, peanut butter, tinned fish etc. All offer great tasting protein at a good price.
3. Take stock of what you already have in your pantry, refrigerator or freezer, and buy accordingly.
4. Eat more grains. Rice, barley and couscous are readily available these days and can go a long ways in bulking out pricier ingredients such as meat and cheese.
5. Avoid recipes that require specialty ingredients or ingredients you know you are only going to use once or twice. Often a suitable substitute can be found that can be used that is something you already have in your larder.
6. Try to eat seasonally and locally. It only makes sense to eat things when they are in season and it also helps to lower your carbon footprint. Fruits and vegetables are much cheaper when bought in season.
7. Use your leftovers. The cost of a whole chicken might seem a lot, but when you know you are going to get two or even three meals from it, it becomes a lot less of an extravagance.
8. Don't go shopping when you are hungry. You are more prone to impulse buying when your stomach is doing the talking rather than your wallet!
9. Shop the high and low shelves, rather than the middle. The middle shelves usually contain the higher priced items.
10. Don't be fooled by retail tactics to get you to spend more money. Is it really a bargain if you save 50 cents on an item because you are buying two of them, but it is costing you a dollar or more than what you were originally going to spend?
Healthy eating and feeding your family doesn't have to be expensive with just a bit of prior planning!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
One thing I have a real love and taste for is anything to do with Tex Mex or Mexican flavors. They are not something which I really grew up with, but something I discovered as an adult.
The most Tex Mex my mother ever got was when she discovered a recipe for Chili on the back of a tin of Tomato soup! Suffice it to say, it was not the same thing at all, but my father loved it and it replaced our regular Saturday night wieners and beans!
My second husband and I used to love to go to a Mexican restaurant chain in London, Ontario many moons ago. I usually ordered either the Chicken Chimichangas or the Chicken Fajitas.
We also used to frequent a really authentic smaller Mexican restaurant in Fredericton NB, who made fabulous Fajitas! I think it is safe to say that I love Fajitas, be they chicken or be they beef! There is something about that spicy meat, peppers, and onions that makes my tastebuds sing!
A Fajita in Tex Mex cuisine is any type of meat, cut into strips and spiced, fried together with peppers and onions and served in a warm flour or corn tortilla.
The restaurant in Fredericton used to bring them hot to the table in a sizzling cast iron skillet. You needed to be careful not to burn yourself. They were incredibly delicious.
This recipe I am sharing today was inspired by one I found in the cookbook, Hope's Table by Hope Helmuth. I did not make the full recipe.
I also did not follow her recipe exactly and switched things out a bit according to the ingredients I had in my house. What follows is my inspired version of her recipe. It is delicious.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN FAJITAS
Everything is pretty simple really.
For the chicken:
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 TBS green tabasco sauce (this is found next to the red Tabasco in the grocery store)
- 1 TBS light olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed (alternately you can use the equivalent in garlic powder, not salt)
- the juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp each salt and black pepper
You will also need:
- 1 small green pepper, cored, trimmed and sliced (or 1/2 large)
- 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced (or 1/2 large)
- 1/2 TBS butter
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup (60g) grated Tex Mex Blend Cheese (it is a mix of mild and spicy cheeses
To serve:
- 1 cup hot cooked rice (I like basmati)
- 1/2 TBS green tabasco sauce
- chopped fresh tomato
- chopped fresh avocado
- sour cream or ranch dressing (optional)
- 4 soft flour tortillas (I only had six inch, but 10 inch would be better)
Hope used fresh green jalapenos in her marinade. I did not have any, but I thought that the green tabasco sauce would be a great substitute. You get some of the heat of the jalapeno and the flavor of course.
She also made a special black bean rice to serve with hers. I did not have any black beans, so I just used a regular basmati rice that I stirred more of the tabasco sauce into to give it a bit of a spiciness. It was very nice.
I cut the quantities of everything down to feed just two people. I also added some cheese to melt over top at the end. Yummy. Yummy.
She served hers with guacamole and ranch dressing. I did not have guacamole, but I did have frozen chunk avocado. I felt this would work beautifully and it did.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN FAJITAS
These were really simple to make and incredibly delicious.
Begin by marinating the chicken. Slice the chicken into 1/2 inch strips. Place into a bowl and toss together with the olive oil, lime juice, green tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Set aside for 1/2 hour.
Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the peppers and onions. Season lightly and sauté just until tender. Scoop out and set aside.
Add the chicken to the pan, along with any marinade. Cover and cook over medium heat, just until done. Uncover and return the peppers and onions to the pan.
Turn up the heat and cook on high until any juices have evaporated. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Sprinkle the cheese over top and allow to melt.
Warm your tortillas.
Stir the remaining tabasco into the hot cooked rice. Place 1/4 down the center of each warm tortilla. Top with some chopped fresh avocado.
Divide the chicken/pepper mixture between each and then top with chopped tomato and sour cream or ranch dressing if using. Fold together and serve immediately.
I was really pleased with how these turned out. The chicken was moist and tender and filled with amazing flavor. The peppers and onions cooked just the right amount/
I thought the cheese melted on top was just the right touch. I also loved the creamy contrast of the avocado and the sweetness of the chopped tomato.
I was going to have sour cream with them, but I forgot. It was delicious as is but sour cream would have added a nice rich touch. Whilst these were slightly different than the usual fajitas, I thought they were actually more delicious.
We're having a huge snow day today! I don't know how much fell, but I am sure it is over two feet altogether. Put it this way, I can't open my back door and they have no plans to shovel it according to Sheila next door.
I know they are struggling with clearing up the road and the driveways, never mind the back doorways., but I always thought that legally tenants needed to have two viable exits in case of fire.
I just went out and tried to push against it with all my might and it wasn't budging, and as you know I am a pretty hefty woman! My next door neighbor Sheila is very concerned She has a doggie and her doggie can't get out to toilet itself.
I suppose he could use the front, but that's not the point. We need to be able to get out our back doors. She is going to call the office and complain I think.
I thought I would bake some cookies today for some of my neighbors, especially Sheila. I thought it would be a good excuse for me to check up on them and see if they are okay. You never know with seniors how they are getting on.
Its always a good thing to check up on them, especially in inclement weather. And bringing them freshly baked cookies is the perfect excuse to use for knocking on their door!
The recipe which I am sharing today was adapted from the King Arthur Baker's Companion cookbook. Its an excellent baking book. I highly recommend. It was one of the books I chose to replace when I moved back to Canada.
I have another chocolate chip cookie recipe that is my favorite that I have been baking for years. It results in cookies which are crisp on the edges and chewy in the middles. You can find that recipe here.
Its a really good one, but I am always up for trying something new and I was especially intrigued by the title of this one. Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I love crisp cookies. Cookies that snap in your mouth. Cookies that are perfect for dunking into a hot cuppa or a cold glass of milk. I needed to bake these to see if they lived up to their name!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CRISP CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Nothing more than the usual suspects when it comes to baking cookies.
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter at room temperature (they specified unsalted, I used salted and cut back on the salt in the recipe)
- 1/2 cup (110g) vegetable shortening (in the UK Trex or white flora)
- 1 cup (200g) soft dark brown sugar, packed (I am sure you could use light brown sugar as well, but the molasses flavor would not be quite as pronounced.)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract (This was optional, but I added it to see if it made a difference.)
- 1 large free range egg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 2 cups (280g) all purpose plain flour
- 1 cup (120g) chopped toasted pecans
- 2 - 2 1/2 cups (360g - 450g) semi sweet chocolate chips (I used the full amount, Kirkland brand.)
It seems like a lot of chocolate chips I know, but trust me, if you are a chocolate chip lover, do use the full amount. I really like the Kirkland brand that you can get at Costco. They are quite simply the best chocolate chips.
Nice and rich and chocolatey. Also you could use walnuts instead of pecans, or leave them out altogether if you don't like nuts. But if you do like nuts, do toast them first. It makes all the difference in the world.
10 minutes in a moderate oven does the trick beautifully. Just spread them out on a baking sheet and pop them in. They're done when they smell nutty. Make sure you cool them down before using them.
HOW TO MAKE CRISP CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Cookies are probably one of the easiest things to make. Most children start off their baking careers by baking cookies with their mums. Mine did!
Begin by preheating the oven to 375*F/190*C/gas mark 5. You want to have a couple of large baking sheets ready and lined with baking parchment. Alternately, you can butter them, but I am rather lazy and baking paper saves on the washing up.
Beat the butter, shortening, both sugars, egg, vanilla and almond extract together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the baking soda and salt. Add the flour, along with the nuts and chocolate chips, mixing on slow speed until thoroughly combined.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheets 1 1/2 to 2-inches apart. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. The underside will be light golden brown and the cookies set and crisp around the edges.
Leave to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before scooping off onto a wire rack to cool completely. I dare you to resist eating one, or two, or three fresh off the baking sheets!
If you can do that you are a better man than I Gunga Din!
Store the baked cookies in an airtight container. These also freeze very well. And just so you know, frozen cookies taste just as good as room temperature cookies. (I am so naughty!)
These are really, REALLY good cookies. (I would expect nothing less from King Arthur Flour.) Sheila phoned me up to say she was enjoying one with a nice hot cup of tea.
I'm about to go and do just that myself! I think I am going to brew up a pot of Mandarin and Honey tea. That will suit me just fine, or maybe I'll crack open that hot chocolate bomb my sister and Dan gave me for Christmas. A snow day seems like the perfect occasion!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
What can you make for a quick and easy breakfast for two people which, excluding the serve-withs, only takes a few simple ingredients like eggs, flour and milk?
And what can you make for a quick and easy breakfast for two people which is thoroughly delicious and will put a smile on two faces!
Dutch Baby Pancakes! That's what! (Excuse my enthusiasm!! But I love these things!)
Essentially a Dutch Baby is a huge popover/Yorkshire pudding, eggy pancake . . . baked in the oven in melted butter, until puffy, crispy edged, and golden brown!
Simple to throw together. Simple to bake. And even easier to eat. You can fill these lovely oven pancakes which whatever you wish.
Today I chose to fill mine with blueberries scattered with lime zested brown sugar. I served them with some lime wedges for squeezing and a couple dollops of sour cream.
Blueberries and lime make beautiful partners. The brown sugar gives just a hint of sweetness to counteract the tartness of the berries and the lime, and then the sour cream added a beautiful rich finish.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE DUTCH BABY WITH BLUEBERRIES & LIME
Its simple really. No, really!
For the pancake:
- 3 large free range eggs
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (70g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 TBS butter
To finish/serve:
- fresh blueberries (about 1 cup)
- 3 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1 fresh lime
- several dollops of full fat sour cream
Of course these last are purely optional as you can fill your pancake with whatever floats your boat. Sliced bananas and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Fresh raspberries and toasted almond flakes. Fresh strawberries and lemon sugar with crumbled crisp bacon.
You can even serve them plain with just lemon and sugar, or pancake syrup. Anything literally goes!
You can make them completely savory, filling them with thinly sliced smoked salmon, lemon wedges and sprigs of dill. Dollops of sour cream as well.
Or make it a meat fest and fill with crisp bacon, crumbled sausage and pass the maple syrup at the table. These are so very adaptable!
HOW TO MAKE DUTCH BABY WITH BLUEBERRIES & LIME
Nothing could be easier. You will need a 9 or a 10-inch oven proof skillet to make this. I used my cast iron skillet, but you can use any skillet that has an oven-proof handle.
You can even use a 9 or a 10 inch round baking or flan dish/cake tin, etc.
Begin by preheating your oven to 450*F/230*C/ gas mark 7. Place your baking dish/skillet into the oven to heat and then add the butter to the dish, allowing it to melt.
While the oven is heating whisk together your eggs, milk, vanilla and salt until smooth. Then slowly whisk in your flour until it has just been incorporated. Don't over-whisk it. a few lumps are perfectly acceptable.
Take the hot skillet (don't forget to use an oven mitt) out of the oven and swirl the butter to coat the pan well, then pour the pancake batter into the center of the pan and return the pan to the oven.
Bake it for 15 minutes until it is light fluffy and golden brown. As you can see, this baby really puffs up! Like a huge puff ball!
It also starts to deflates pretty much as soon as you take it out of the oven, but don't worry, that's what you want. It will still bit a little bit puffy and will hold whatever you choose to fill it with beautifully.
I dusted mine lightly with some regular confectioners sugar to highlight the goldenness of the pancake. While it was baking I rubbed together the brown sugar and lime zest.
This is a trick I learned from Dori Greenspan. She always rubs her lemon zest (if she is using it) into her sugar for any baking recipe. This really helps to release the natural oils and flavors. It works the same with lime.
Pile the berries into the center of the pancake and then sprinkle them with the zested brown sugar. (Its okay if a tiny bit gets on the sour cream.)
Cut in half and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over top. This is quite simply a beautiful combination of flavors.
That sour cream is the perfect finish. This is quite simply, a . . . beautiful . . . beautiful . . . weekend breakfast. Prepare to fall totally and utterly in love.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
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