TURKEY FRAME Leftovers

As reported on my blog, we had a WONDERFUL family Thanksgiving. I am so appreciative and blessed with our family and the fact all of them (except David) live in the immediate area.

After dinner, while Dave was cleaning up the roaster pan, he asked Suzette about the turkey frame. She didn't want it and asked me if I'd like to take it home. She had prepared a 22 lb turkey. YOU BET I wanted to bring it home.

SO

I want to share with you what I was able to do with that turkey frame and how many meals it has provided us with!!!

First thing I did was find a new soup, instead of the normal turkey & rice or noodle soup I usually make. Instead I made a vegetable soup. Here is the recipe:

Turkey Frame Soup

1 cooked turkey frame

3 qts, water

1 onion, quartered

2 tsp. salt

1 (15 oz.) can tomatoes, cut up

1 tbsp. chicken bouillon

1 1/2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. thyme

1/8 tsp. pepper

4 c. frozen stew vegetables

1/2 c. dry noodles

In large pot, add first 4 ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Cool and discard bones and solids. Add next 6 ingredients and bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Then add dry noodles and simmer for 10 minutes. This soup is great for after the holidays.

This soup has been our lunch for 2 meals and we still have enough left for the 3rd lunch.

After the frame cooled I removed all the turkey from the bones. This gave me a goodly amount of turkey meat. Today for lunch we had turkey sandwiches and tonight I fixed creamed turkey on toast. I have enough creamed turkey left for supper tomorrow evening and still have 1/2 the turkey meat left to do something else with!!!

So to recap - out of the turkey frame that many would just throw away we have had:

3 meals of a rich, vegetable soup

1 meal of turkey sandwiches

2 meals of creamed turkey

& remaining turkey to still make 2 or 3 more meals out of.

FRUGAL is a life style and not just a word!!!!

It also can taste mighty good.

BELL PEPPER RELISH

Beautiful, fresh bell peppers from Mickey's garden.

BELL PEPPER RELISH

12 lg green peppers

12 lg red peppers (you see we had 1 red and 11 not so large purple)

2 C sugar

1 pt. boiling water

5 sm. onions, chopped

4 C vinegar

3 T salt

Wash and remove seeds from peppers, and chop or grind them in a food grinder. Pour boiling water over them and let stand 10 minutes. Drain and add finely chopped onions, vinegar, sugar and salt. Cook 20 minutes. Seal in jars while hot.

Grinding the peppers




Vinegar, salt, sugar & water

Fresh onions from Mickey's garden. It called for 5 small but this is what I counted out and used because of the wee size of the onions.

The finished product!!!

We ended up with these 5 canned pints plus another, almost full, pint that went directly into the frig for immediate use.

Very YUMMY and even though I had only 1 red pepper I was happy with the way the spots of red were mixed in so well in each pint jar.

GOOD FRUGAL EATING!!!!

Enchiladas for a crowd

Sunday is going to be a big day at our house and I am going to have 19 for dinner. Feeding that many, especially in our smallish home, is going to be.....something!

I gave the honoree the choice of main menu item between Baked Ham, Beef Strogonoff & 3 Cheese Chicken Enchiladas and the enchiladas were selected. Since I needed to fixed 38 enchiladas (2 apiece for this main dish) I decided the only way was to prepare the actual enchiladas ahead of time and freeze them.

The recipe I had was for 10 Enchiliadas. Instead of making them all at once I decided the easiest and best way, for me, was to make 4 separate batches of the items.

The night before, I cooked 4 large split chicken breasts in the slow cooker. (I always remove the skin and fat ) First thing I did this morning was shred the chicken and place 2 cups in 4 separate baggies.

I needed 6 cups of both Jack & Cheddar Cheese, totalling 12 cups.....8 for the enchiladas themselves and 4 to be used to top them. So......the first thing I did was grate a cup of both and place in a baggie, ending up with 4 baggies containing 1 cup each of both Jack & Cheddar. Then I grated 2 cups of each and placed in a bag for the toppings to be added on Sunday. I didn't think to take pictures at the beginning but here is the awaiting topping bag.

After mixing the cheeses, chicken and chili sauce together I was ready to lay out my 10 tortillas, fill them, then roll each one.

Here I am putting together the final of the 4 batches which was for the remaining 8 Enchiladas. I am filling and rolling them.

Wrapping each in foil for the freezer.


Mickey was involved in this project every step of the way and here he is marking this last group of 8 with a G for green. I made 2 batches with red chili and 2 batches with green chili. We marked each batch as R or G and will cook each type together so our guests can have their choice and preference.

Here are the 38 in the freezer and this step of the job is done for today.

Sunday, after church, all I'll have to do is remove these and do the last and final step of adding the red or green chili to the bottom of the pan, placing the enchiladas in the pan, topping with the grated cheese and bake.

Now for the recipe:

Three Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

1 1/2 cups grated jack cheese (sometimes I use pepper jack)

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (we prefer sharp)

3 ounces cream cheese softened (you could use another cheese choice but cc makes

them really creamy & good!)

19 ounce can of red or green enchilada sauce

2 cups cooked shredded chicken

10 large flour tortillas

Combine 1 cup of jack cheese, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, cream cheese, 3/4 cup enchilada sauce, and chicken. Mix until well combined. Pour about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce into a 9x13 pan and spread it around. Then place about 1/3 cup of filling into each tortilla shell. Roll up and place in pan. Pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until heated through.

If you like Mexican food you'll enjoy this recipe.

I hope you will all drop by Penless Writer next week when I'll post all about this occasion, the honoree and the guest list.

Check in tomorrow for another Mexican dish I will be making and serving.

Frugal note: Yes, I washed out each and every baggie and will reuse them!!

Frugal note: I have several pints of fat free chicken broth in the frig for future meals.

Use That Extra Bread

This is a followup on Kristie's post about having extra bread and other items as a result of buying in bulk at places like Costco. For us, it's BJ's, but the same applies. We often have lots of bread around no matter where we shop; it seems my family members often have times when they don't particularly want what's here for one reason or another. One of my favorite healthy recipes is the one I posted once as a sneaky nutrition post on my blog . I promised Susan I would post it here too, because it is indeed a great way to use that extra bread that's not quite so fresh anymore. I sometimes have made it to give to folks when our church makes meals for a household with a sick mom or new baby or just to help out for some other need. Good for breakfast, lunch or dessert, and very nutritious, with or without the wheat germ. Enjoy!

Applesauce Bread Pudding

1. 7 to 8 slices bread, white or whole wheat, or some of both. (Number of slices may vary, depending on size of slices.)
2. 3 eggs
3. 2 cups canned skim milk, undiluted
4. 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
5. 1/2 cup sugar (or less) [I use Splenda for my family. Husband diabetic.]
6. 1 tsp. vanilla
7. 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
8. 1/2 tsp. salt
9. nutmeg
10. wheat germ (about 1/4 cup)
11. raisins, if desired

a. Spray a shallow baking dish and break up the bread into it.
b. In a bowl, mix eggs, add milk, then stir in applesauce.
c. Add sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt to egg mixture.
d. Stir in wheat germ and raisins, if desied.
e. Pour the mixture over the bread pieces.
f. Sprinkle nutmeg over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees until set, about 35-45 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

HAWAIAN BANANA NUT BREAD

This blog is about being frugal and being wise and using the things God provides for us in a wise way. Being good stewards. One of the many ways to do that is being alert and taking advantage of what God opens up to us. Hence, this recipe, but it's so much more than about the recipe!!!

Last week, when I was preparing the Pimento Cheese spread I had to run to the store and buy a jar of pimento and a loaf of bread. As Mickey & I went rushing into the store, (seems we are always rushing these days!!!!) we passed the produces area and I noticed they had riper banana's by the sack full. As we sped by I told Mickey, "remind me to stop and look at these before we check out.

(click to enlarge)

Upon inspection here was a 3.76 lb. bag of ripe bananas for $1.39, or $.37 per pound.

Very interesting!!!

Looking closer...yes they were ripe but not over ripe and not particularly bruised. Gotta buy these and make some Banana Nut Bread!!! I love to keep baked sweet breads in the freezer so that when ever someone comes I have something sweet, yet 1/2 way good for us, to serve them with coffee. I try not to keep too much sweet stuff sitting around the house because we eat it!!! and we surely don't need to be doing too much of that. I have found that I can take a Banana Nut bread right out of the freezer, slice it and serve it on the spot. Sometimes I'll warm the slice for a minute in the microwave.

SO......as a consequence of being alert and being aware of good buys I was able to prepare all these loaves of one of our favorite sweet breads. I baked 3 batches and baked one each morning before the house got too warm.

The above two views are the first days loaves. In the second picture you can see I've cut off the ends.......we had to sample and see that they were good!!! Right???? One large loaf and 3 small loaves. Notice the odd shapes of the 3 small loaves. Here's why.....I have the small aluminum disposable plans......BUT I do not dispose of them......I use them over, and over, and OVER again. Just wash them out, kind of "reshape" them and store until next time. When I say I am frugal......I am frugal.

Well, I have probably used these pans for a couple of years, and after the shape of these loaves I decided it was time to go get 3 more disposable aluminum baking pans!!!

Here are day 2's 3 medium size loaves still in the pans to show you the pans. I got these three pans for $1.28.

Day 3's 3 medium size loaves from the new pans.

Now, for the recipe. I call it Pineapple Banana Nut Bread but the official title is Hawaiian Banana Nut Bread. I got this recipe in the 1980's from a girl I worked with. It had come from her mother. I have many Banana Nut Bread recipes but this is by far my favorite because it is so moist.

HAWAIIAN BANANA NUT BREAD

3 c flour

2 c sugar

1 t salt

1 t soda

1 t cinnamon

Combine and mix the above 5 ingredients.

Then combine together:

3 eggs

1 1/2 C oil

2 C mashed banana

8 oz crushed pineapple

Combine dry and wet ingredients until moist.

Add 1 c pecans or walnuts and stir.

Spoon into 2 or 3 greased bread pans

Bake @ 350 degrees 60 to 70 minutes.

Back to my bag of banana's!!! There were 15 banana's in my $1.39 bag. I used 4 bananas in each recipe or 12 bananas. I had 3 left - used 1 in a fruit salad I made out of an apple, orange, 2 slices of cantaloupe, coconut and the banana. By the way, it was yummy!!! Then we each had a banana to eat for breakfast with milk and sugar one day.

Be alert to the bounty the Lord offers us ... be frugal ... and ENJOY!!!

Two Recipes Using My Food Grinder

As promised yesterday on Show & Tell I am sharing 2 recipes that I made using my food chopper/grinder.

Roast Beef Sandwich Spread

I do not have actual quantity sizes to give you. since the object of this spread is to use up whatever size piece of left-over roast beef you have.

The small piece I had left over from our Sunday dinner was about 4" x 2 1/2". I simply ground up the roast beef and added; chopped green onions, pickle relish and mayonnaise thinned with 2% milk. It looks rather plain and bland but let me tell you, it was delicious. I stored this in a plastic container and we had several days of wonderful Ground Roast Beef sandwiches for lunch.

This is a very frugal, tasty and nutritious sandwich spread.

Pimento Cheese Spread

Recipe:

8 oz cream cheese - $.99 (bought on sale)

8 oz cheddar cheese - 3 for $5 = $1.66 (bought on sale)

32 oz velvetta cheese - $4.49 (bought on sale)

6 oz jar pimento - $1.34

mayonnaise

1. Let cream cheese come to room temperature. Place in large mixing bowl and stir with large spoon until smooth and creamy.

2. Cut cheddar & velvetta cheeses into small pieces for grinding.

3. Alternate grinding cheddar & velvetta into the bowl with cream cheese.

4. Add some of the pimento as you go along.

5. Mix mayonnaise thinned with 2% milk as needed. I mixed a small amount about 1/2 way through. I mixed another small amount and added at the end to make it creamier.

Using my purchase prices and adding an additional $.50 estimate for the mayonnaise & dab of milk the total cost for 10 cups of spread is $8.98 or $.90 per cup or $.11 an ounce

The cost of prepared store pimento cheese (with all the ??? things listed on the ingredients) was 14 oz for $2.79 . That would make it $.20 an ounce.

SO.... my home made comes to $1.54 for 14 oz. versus the store bought for $2.79 for 14 oz. A savings of $1.25 or a 44 1/2%. Plus mine is so much healthier without the added ???? ingredients. Since we have to pay sales tax on grocery purchases I also saved an additional $1.06 taxes I would have paid on my 10 cups.

Now I call that frugal!!!

I took 1/2, or 5 cups, to the church this week for the 50 people who gave of their time and love for Vacation Bible School and I took a plate of it, surrounded with various crackers to Bible study Tuesday night.

Paper bag popcorn

{Have a frugal tip or thought to share? Post about it on your blog and then head over to Biblical Womanhood for Frugal Fridays and leave your link so we can all be motivated and inspired.}

This is a fun way to make microwave popcorn without needing to use oil. You can also monitor how much butter and/or salt you want to put on it.
I found this recipe by doing an online search. It's been a year, and unfortunately I can't remember exactly which site I used, so I'll just say thank you to whoever thought of this first!

1. Put 1/3 cup of popcorn in a paper lunch bag.
2. Fold over the top about a half inch. Do this twice.
3. I seal it with a piece of gray tape.
(The original site said you could safely seal it with a couple of staples, but I didn't want to take that risk--you know, metal and microwaves--eek!
4. Now, here's where you'll have to play with it, because everyone's microwaves are different.
I set our microwave at approx. 1 1/2 min. Give or take a couple of seconds.

I haven't done a price breakdown on this, but I do know it is less expensive than store-bought microwave popcorn and much healthier.

A Delicious Frugal Meal

Soon after I married, some 50 years ago, my mother obtained a little cookbook for me from the County Extension Service titled Money-saving MAIN DISHES.

The recipe I am sharing here is one of our family favorites and one I have made during all these years.

A "boiled" dinner

2 pounds meaty ham hocks

1 1/2 cups hot water

4 medium-size potatoes, pared and halves

1 1/2 cups canned or cooked green beans and liquid

Salt and pepper

Cover ham hocks with water and simmer about 1 hour.

Add potatoes to meat and cook until tender - about 25 minutes.

Add beans and liquid the last 10 minutes of cooking. If raw beans are used, add with potatoes.

Season with salt and Pepper. Skim off excess fat before serving.

For Variety

Corned beef, smoked Boston butt, or ham bone may be used in place of the ham hocks. Cover with water and simmer about 3 hours or until tender. Omit salt, and continue as above. Good with sauerkraut.

Beef short ribs may be used. Brown short ribs without added fat; cook 2 hours before adding potatoes.

A variety of vegetable may be used in a "boiled" dinner. In addition to potatoes, use onions, large pieces of carrot, and wedges of cabbage. Add cabbage about 20 minutes before serving, as it cooks more quickly than the other vegetables.

********************

This is how I prefer to cook it and what I use:

The day before:

Place 3 or 4 meaty country style pork spare ribs

in the slow cooker (crock pot) and cover with water.

When done I remove the meat and place on a plate in the refrigerator.

I place the crock pot, with all the liquid, in the refrigerator so the fat will rise to the top and form a layer that is easy to remove.

The following day:

Remove crock pot dish from frig and remove layer of fat.

Plug in crock pot and add meat to liquid.

Add the amount of pared and halved potatoes. I use 2 potatoes for each spare rib.

Add several cans of green beans - I usually add 3 or 4 cans, depending on whether I have 3 or 4 ribs, and because we really like the green beans.

I do not add any salt or pepper.

I did this yesterday....and when we returned from church services I had this wonderful meal ready to serve. It is truly yummy!!!

I am going to try and estimate the cost: my package of country style pork ribs were $8.47. When I bought them I divided them into 3 packages and froze for 3 meals. So meat was $2.82. The most recent bag of potatoes I purchased was 10 lbs. for $5.77 . It had 31 potatoes in it (YES - can you believe I counted the potatoes so I could get a unit price!!!) That is .186 cents per potato x 6 = $1.12. The green beans I had purchased the last time they were on sale for .50 a can x 3 cans = $1.50

So: Meat $2.82

Potatoes 1.12

Green Beans 1.50

Total Cost $5.44


I could have invited another couple to dinner with us, or in this case, since I didn't Mickey and I will get 2 good meals from this dish, with maybe even a few potatoes and beans left over for a 3rd vegetable serving.

FRUGAL IS NOT ONLY THRIFTY BUT CAN BE DELICIOUS!