Thrifty Recipes Blog - Living On Food Banks

Creamy Ham and Cheese Casserole

1/23/2021

I felt so proud when I created this recipe, which my husband loved! Leftover ham, convenient cooking creme and garlic-herb seasoning make this pasta toss so delicious.

8 ounces uncooked wide egg noodles
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 carton (8 ounces) spreadable cream cheese
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons 2% milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic-herb seasoning blend
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups cubed fully cooked ham
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine soup, cream cheese, milk and seasonings; add ham. Drain noodles. Add to ham mixture and mix well.

Transfer to a 13x9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until heated through, 20-25 minutes.

Medterra

Turkey Crepes

1/2/2021

This savory crepe recipe has been passed down through many generations in my family. You can also use any leftover turkey filling for turkey pot pie

3 large eggs, room temperature
3-1/4 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

FILLING:
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (about 5 ounces), thawed
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup 2% milk
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups chopped cooked turkey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk. In another bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder; add to egg mixture and mix well. Refrigerate, covered, 1 hour.

Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir batter. Fill a 1/4-cup measure with batter; pour into center of pan. Quickly lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn crepe over and cook until bottom is cooked, 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing pan as needed. When cool, stack crepes between pieces of waxed paper or paper towels.

For filling, in a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add peas and carrots and onion; cook and stir until onion is tender, 8-10 minutes. Stir in flour until blended; gradually whisk in milk and broth. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 5-8 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients; heat through.

Spread 1/4 cup filling down the center of each crepe; fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Wipe out skillet. In batches, heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Cook crepes until golden brown, 2-4 minutes on each side.

No Fine Print Wine

Leftover Ham Quesadillas

1/6/2019

Happy New Year to all my fabulous readers! I am praying that each of you find the financial means to prosperous new year. But financial freedom doesn't come about without a few precautions. Always be on the look out for a thrifty idea to put some savings back into your pocket. You'll find great ideas here all year long to stretch that food dollar.

About 15% of your total budget is now spent on food! Food prices have been skyrocketing and a decline in the future seems improbable.

I was rummaging through my cabinets yesterday wondering what could I cook for New Year's Eve lunch. I came upon a fabulous recipe I just had to share. There is something amazing about this combination, and I plan on making more of these in the future using leftover ham or even deli ham from the local supermarket.

1 lb. leftover ham, sliced thin
1 very large onion sliced in thin layers
2 tab. margarine
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 package of tortillas, regular
1 package of American cheese slices
Margarine

Fry onion in fry pan with margarine, salt, and pepper until soft. Place a tortilla on your George Foreman Grill and layer with ham slices, a couple of heaping tablespoons of onions, and slice of processed cheese. Top with another tortilla. Place a few thin slices of margarine on the top to give that crispy coating. Close grill and when light turns off, you've got one delicious meal. Cut into fours and serve immediately.

nail polish

Father's Day Sheet Pan Chicken Parmesan

6/13/2018

Need something thrifty, yet tantalizing for Father's Day? Give this one a shot! All you need is a side of linguine, and you're all set for the special day.

1 large egg
1/2 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
Olive oil-flavored cooking spray
4 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets (about 10 ounces)
1 cup marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh basil, optional

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly coat a 15x10x1-in. sheet pan with cooking spray.

In a shallow bowl, whisk egg. In a separate shallow bowl, stir together the next five ingredients. Dip chicken breast in egg; allow excess to drip off. Then dip in crumb mixture, patting to help coating adhere. Repeat with remaining chicken. Place chicken breasts in center third of baking sheet. Spritz with cooking spray.

Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Spread broccoli in a single layer along both sides of sheet pan (if broccoli is frozen, break pieces apart). Return to oven; bake 10 minutes longer. Remove from oven.

Preheat broiler. Spread marinara sauce over chicken; top with shredded cheese. Broil chicken and broccoli 3-4 in. from heat until cheese is golden brown and vegetables are tender, 3-5 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with basil.

Holiday Leftovers: Biscuit Ham Pot Pie

12/16/2017

I have to admit I was a bit skeptical on this one. After all, ham and gravy matched together as appealing? But my youngest is a "gravy" man. He just loves comfort foods that incorporate sometime of sauce.

Well, we were pleasantly surprised at this one. The biscuits tasted like our favorite canned biscuits we usually buy. Only these were made from scratch!

3 celery ribs, diced
2 medium onions, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1/2 fennel bulb, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 carton (32 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 teaspoon of tarragon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

BUTTERMILK BISCUITS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup margarine
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425°. Toss celery, onions, carrots and fennel in oil to coat. Spread in a single layer over a 13 x 9-in. baking pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. Cool. Reduce heat to 350°.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth; add thyme. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add roasted vegetables, ham, tarragon, salt and pepper, cooking until heated through. Transfer to baking dish.

For biscuits, pulse flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a food processor until blended. or mix with your fingers. Pulse until margarine is the size of peas. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in milk until no flour is visible. Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently 8-10 times. Roll dough into a 13x9-in. rectangle; cut into shapes of your choice.

Arrange biscuit pieces, overlapping slightly, over ham mixture. Bake until biscuit topping is golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Holiday Leftovers: Turkey Pot Pie

12/10/2017

If you had a quiet Thanksgiving, with just a few family members, you may have quite a bit of turkey left over in your freezer. I can attest to that, and despite my good intentions of making lunch salads and other quick delicacies, I still have a good size bag of turkey in my kitchen freezer.

This is one specialty I make once a year. It is a bit decadent, yet superbly delicious. I do not make my own pie crust for this one, but rather purchase a store brand type. For some reason the excess layers of butter flakiness add a whole new dimension to this recipe. I will usually double this and freeze one for later in the month. This one is well worth the effort and your family will ask for this dish more often than expected!

refrigerator pie crust (2 in a pack)
2 tab. butter
2 tab. flour
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups of mixed vegetables
1 1/2 cups of turkey meat
(1) 14. oz can of chicken broth
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Saute butter and flour in pan until thick and bubbly. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add broth and milk. Stir until thickened. Add vegetables, turkey, salt, and pepper. Stir until thickened again. Place one pie crust in pie pan and add cooled mixture. Top with top pie crust and add slits to ensure steam is allowed to vent. Bake 400 for 45 minutes or until golden.

Birthday in a Box

Holiday Leftovers: Chocolate Cranberry Sheet Cake

12/10/2017

One canned item that crops up year after year are those cranberry sauce cans leftover from Thanksgiving. Without a doubt I receive 2-3 cans over the holiday. Only being able to utilize one, I am usually left with a couple of cans to incorporate over the year. Hence, I'm always on the lookout for a good cranberry recipe!

This cake has a delicate raspberry like flavor that sits nestled between the cake layer and cool whip topping. It will be by far one of the most moistest cakes you'll ever sink your teeth into. Best of all, this cake cost me less than $2 due to the $1 cake mix sale and the .88 cent special of cool whip I stock up on when there are sales. There is always a package of semi sweet chip in the refrigerator valued at $1.59 at Aldi.

1 Devils food cake mix
1 1/3 cup water
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 16 oz. can jelled cranberry sauce divided
1 container of cool whip
2 tab. cocoa powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat cake mix, water, eggs, and vegetable oil until just blended. Batter will be loose. Take half the cranberry can and beat in on low for 1 minute. Spread into greased 13 x 9 inch pan and bake according to package directions. Take out and let cool. Place the remaining cranberry sauce in a bowl and microwave for 20 seconds to warm. Break up with a fork and stir until smooth. Spread over cake. In a bowl dump the cool whip and cocoa powder and stir until blended. Spoon over cake like frosting. Top with chocolate chips and refrigerate leftovers.

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Holiday Leftovers: Creamed Turkey

12/3/2017

Here's a great way to use up some leftover turkey you have lying around by stretching it to another meal. All you need is some homemade or canned biscuits, and dinner tastes like it was made fresh! I don't know about you, but since I cook often, my family loves leftovers as much as they love doing their chores. For some reason, things taste "old" and unappealing.

But, with this recipe I never get the "thumbs down". It utilizes fresh ingredients, and is a welcome addition to the dinner table.

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
dash red pepper (optional)
2 cups cooked turkey
Can of large biscuits

Melt butter or margarine in pan and then add carrots and celery. Cook until al dente. Add flour, and whisk until smooth. Begin adding the rest of the ingredients and keep stirring. If sauce is a bit too thick, add a bit more milk until you reach desired consistency. Serve over biscuits.

Holiday Leftovers: Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

12/3/2017

I had this liter of leftover chicken stock in my refrigerator from the food pantry bag during Thanksgiving. I used it on the stuffing before placing it inside the cavity, and now I have leftover broth waiting for a new idea.

Well here's a great idea! All you need is a bag of those Yukon gold potatoes you've seen on sale for $1.99 a bag at Aldi.

It is these types of added sides that make dinners just a bit more special and worth the extra effort.

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp. dried thyme

Place the potatoes in a deep skillet. Cover potatoes with chicken stock. You can add more water if there is not enough broth. I also used 1 cup of water with 1 bouillon cube inserted. Cook until tender when pierced with a knife.

Drain. Dry potatoes and place the oil in bottom of skillet With a rolling pin or wine bottle gently press down on each potato until skins split slightly. Fry in oil 4 minutes on each side.

Season with butter, salt, pepper, thyme. Replace lid to keep warm. Serve immediately.