Living On Food Banks - Thrifty Recipes Blog

Hearty Red Beans and Rice

4/14/2018

There is nothing healthier than combining a starch with the delicious bean. This recipe was given to me by a Cajun and packs a delicious punch when meeting your taste buds. It is reasonable, and makes quite a pot full that can be enjoyed for snacking later on. It must be made in advanced, allowing the beans to marinate in the required mixture.

1 lb. red beans
2 large onions
2 cloves garlic minced
½ tsp. Tabasco
½ cup red wine
Water
Olive oil
¼ pd. Ham
Salt/pepper to taste
1 lb. Kielbasa sliced
Cooked Rice

Wash beans and place in a bowl. Add onion, garlic, pepper, wine, and hot sauce. Cover with water to ½ inch over beans. Slip in the refrigerator overnight. Coat cooking pot with olive oil and add bean mixture, kielbasa, and ham.

Cook several hours until beans are tender adding . Serve over rice.

Super Moist Cinnamon Rolls

4/14/2018

This is an amazing recipe stocked with an amazing and unlikely ingredient. I make these on Sunday morning for a special breakfast before jetting off to church. In fact, if I place everything in my bread maker when I rise, it will be ready in less than an hour and a half. I can roll these out quickly, cut, and pop them in the oven. The fresh baked smell makes everyone wake with a smile.

Not a big expense here either, you can freeze leftovers for the busy week mornings ahead. You can get that instant pudding mix at Aldi for only 59 cents.

Dough

1 pkg. yeast
1 tab. sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup milk
1/3 cup instant pudding mix
1 egg
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted
1 tsp. salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour
****touch bread dough in machine to make sure it is just a tad sticky before closing the lid

Filling
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup margarine or butter, melted

Frosting
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. water

Place all dough ingredients in bread maker. Set on dough setting. Allow to rotate checking stickiness of dough. I begin by placing 3 cups of flour and then gradually add more as the blades whirl ensuring the dough has a bit of a sticky, exterior.

Mix cinnamon and sugar in a bowl. Divide dough in 1/2. Roll each out into a 18 x 10 inch rectangle. Spread with 1/2 butter then 1/2 the filling mixture.

Place on a greased 13 x 9" pan. Cover with a towel and let rise about 45 mins. until doubled.

Place in a 350 degree oven and bake 20 - 25 minutes or until slightly golden. Take out rolls.

Mix frosting ingredients in bowl. Spread over warm rolls. Wow, these are precious!

Ground Beef with Mushroom Gravy - "The Aunt Sandy Dinner"

4/8/2018

My son requested this last night, and I had forgotten about the beloved Aunt Sandy Dinner. This is amazing tasting, simple, and a kid's favorite. My Aunt Sandy was a busy working woman, yet found time to offer healthy food options at her table despite being a full time employee. She believed that a woman needed to ensure her well-being was complete and found alternative cooking recipes on nights that normally wouldn't allow a decent home cooked meal. This gave her some special time to recharge her own batteries. This recipe can be made in 20 minutes. That is from start to finish! It is nutritious, healthy, and reasonably priced. I know once you try this treat it will easily become a family favorite.

1 pd. hamburger
1/2 small chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
I mushroom packet gravy mix
1 cup milk
*Noodles or mashed potatoes

In a frypan add chopped onion and fry 5 minutes. Add hamburger gently breaking apart with tongs. Add salt and pepper to add a bit of flavor to the meat. When meat is cooked, drain grease. In a measuring cup, pour in gravy packet and add milk to the one cup mark. This prevents watery gravy from the meat juices. If the gravy thickens quickly you can always add a few tablespoons of milk to thin it. The gravy takes but a minute to cook and thicken. Pour immediately over noodles or mashed potatoes.

Easter German Pancake

3/31/2018

Piping hot and puffy from the oven, this golden pancake made a pretty presentation for an Easter's theme breakfast. Served with my homemade buttermilk syrup, it's an eye-opening treat. That easy syrup tastes great on waffles and French toast, too

6 large eggs
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

BUTTERMILK SYRUP:

1/2 cup butter, cubed
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar
Fresh blueberries, optional

Preheat oven to 400°. Place first four ingredients in a blender; process just until smooth.

Pour melted butter into a 13x9-in. baking dish; tilt dish to coat. Add batter; bake, uncovered, until puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place butter, sugar, buttermilk, corn syrup and baking soda in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook, uncovered, 7 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

Remove pancake from oven. Dust with confectioners' sugar; serve immediately with syrup and, if desired, fresh blueberries.

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Baked Ham with Pineapples and Cherries

3/30/2018

Happy Easter! It's that time of year again, most of us splurge a few more pennies to make a meal that is memorable. Nothing beats a delicious sit down dinner with ham, pineapples, and cherries for Easter. This recipe isn't as expensive as it seems if items are purchased from Aldi or Save a Lot. Hams at Save a Lot are only 99 cents this week. Think of it, it is less expensive than lunch meat giving you sandwiches and leftovers for days! The cherries and pineapples can both be had for less than $2.00 at these stories too.

This meal is quite a bargain at under $10. I recently picked up five lbs. of potatoes for $1.69 at Aldi, and you can bet I'll be making a delicious mashed potato side with this batch. Coupled with a vegetable that is on sale at your local market and you've got dinner for less. Why not make up a batch of those Breadmaker Icebox Rolls and you're all set?!

5-8 pound ham
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup pancake syrup
1 tab, yellow mustard
1/4 cup pineapple juice (drained from can)
dash of cloves (optional)
Canned cherries
Canned sliced pineapple

Place ham in baking tray. Top with pineapple and cherries as shown above. Mix the remaining 5 ingredients and pour over top. Bake uncovered for two hours. Slice and enjoy!

Easter Canned Sweet Potatoes

3/30/2018

Got several of those canned sweet potatoes in your Food Pantry bag this week due to Easter? A bit embarrassed about serving them for an Easter meal? Don't be! When cooked in this fabulous casserole style dish, you' won't be able to tell the difference. Furthermore, it will save you a bit of trouble on preparing and peeling those odd shaped potatoes.

4 cans 15 oz. sweet potatoes drained
1/4 cup of pancake syrup
1/2 stick of butter cubed
2/3 cup brown sugar packed
1 tsp. cinnamon
Sprinkling of salt
2 cups of marshmallows
Nuts if desired

Place potatoes in a 2 quart casserole dish or 13 by 9 inch pan. Top with syrup, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Bake for 20 min. on 350. Take out of oven and top with marshmallows and cook until marshmallows are golden brown. I found by baking the toppings first, there is no need to get another saucepan out and combine sugared ingredients on the stove top.

Easter Citrus Ham

3/24/2018

You know the price of food is on the rise, but at least when you buy your holiday ham, you'll know they'll be leftovers for days saving you on future food trips. At this point in time, ham is a much better deal than other meat counterparts. Save A Lot is full with shoppers stalking the meat aisle picking out the largest, cheapest holiday ham at $1.59 pd.

This recipe takes less work than conventional ham ideas. No need to secure cherries, pineapple and such. Just whip up the citrus sauce recipe, stick it in the oven and go about your Easter day duties. You'll be amazed at the presentation and taste.

1 fully cooked bone-in ham (7-9 lb.)

Glaze
1/2 cup grapefruit juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. baked brown sugar
1 tbsp. mustard
1 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham on pan and score the surface of the ham in 1/4 inch deep cuts in diamond pattern. Cover and bake 2 - 2 1/4 hours or until temperature reads 130 degrees.

Meanwhile in a pan combine orange juice and grapefruit juice until mixture is reduced by 1/2. About 12-15 min. Glaze should be thickened. Remove ham from pan and brush with 1/3 cup glaze. Bake ham additional 20 minutes basting once more. Temperature should read 140 degrees for the perfect ham. Place the remaining glaze when ham is taken out of the oven.

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Easter Scalloped Potatoes

3/24/2018

This luscious side dish adds a bit of pizzas to your Easter meal. Made with real potatoes, this one will gather rave reviews when placed next to the main center piece - the ultimate ham.

Give yourself a rest this holiday weekend and prepare these ahead of time. These keep well and can be popped into the oven quickly once the ham is through baking.

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1-3/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 5 medium)
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

In a small nonstick skillet, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until blended.

Place half of the potatoes in a 1-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray; layer with half of the onion and cheese sauce. Repeat layers.
Cover and bake at 350° for 50 minutes.

Quick and Easy Crock Pot Roast

3/24/2018

I usually use a eye roast for this and cook it in the slow cooker. Last week, Publix had eye roasts on sale for $3.99 a pound. Which makes a wonderfully sublime pot roast that will send raves even from your own mother. In fact, I can promise you, leftovers won't take up space in your refrigerator very long. The sauce is rich, robust and each bite will tingle your senses.

Furthermore, believe it or not, I do get a piece of meat from time to time from the food pantry. It doesn't come often, but when I do, I dust off the old slow cooker, and begin to fill it with this delicacy. Sometimes, a little funds left over, or a gift card, enables me to bring home such a treat. When you, too, are blessed, be sure to have the necessary ingredients on hand to bring this fare to your dinner table.

2 - 4 pound eye roast
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tab. Herbs de Provence
1/2 cup water
1 beef bouillon cube
4 tab. cornstarch
1 large onion
4 - 5 carrots
3 - 4 potatoes

In slow cooker. Add water, cornstarch and bouillon. Place roast on top. Season with spices.

Add vegetables to surround roast. Set slow cooker on low allowing it to cook for approximately 7 hours. The flour will create automatic gravy that is robust and aromatic. Nothing else is needed except possibly some baked bread.

Crock Pot Recipes: Rice Pudding

3/16/2018

Yummy and always filling. This one-stop meal is filled with delicious ingredients. Try it for breakfast or as an after dinner dessert.

3⁄4 cup long-grain white rice
4 cups milk
3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch salt
2 tab. butter or margarine
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

In a colander, rinse rice thoroughly under cold water.

Put in lightly greased slow cooker. I use a round, 3.5 to 4 qt cooker.

Add remaining ingredients.

Stir to combine.

Pour butter over rice mixture.

Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until rice has absorbed the liquid.

Add more milk if necessary to reach desired consistency before serving.

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