WINTER...well snow...is here.

Today we woke up to the brilliant white blanket of snow across the front yard. Of course with snow fall this meant something very serious, we had to unpack the garage so that way we could at least put the van in there, and get the car off the road. Now this isn't something that its like OOOH NOOO., yeah no, we knew this day was coming since the day we moved into this house in August. Well of course the call went out to friends for help and several showed up. What enticed? WEll honestly food!! Yeah that is how I get a lot of help around here. I offer food in reply. What was on the menu tonight? What does better in the crockpot during a really cold day? CHILI! Our protein of the night was Turkey (ground turkey to be exact!) And boy did it work out! I didn't even know you could layer chili, but this had them!

But lets back track! this isn't the first time we had ground turkey in the past week. No three nights ago we had ground turkey enchilada's. I went to the commissary to pick up some odds and ends, and found Kraft meals in this little box. So on a whim I bought two. One was Enchilada's Verde, and the other sweet and sour chicken. You know the try box! For two dollars each couldn't go wrong really!

OMG Enchilada's verde was a HUGE hit. WE have a little left, but out of apan of 12 what do you expect? My son couldn't even wait for it to fully be done, He had to have a sneak peak of the meat after it was browned and mixed with the filling sauce!

I hope the sweet and sour tastes as good! I will tell you when I know!

But still the Turkey Chili is something that goes in the crockpot all day. I started it around 11am. Browning up my ground Turkey and preping the rest. The recipe follows!

Ingredients:

1/2 tsp black pepper
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp Oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 (14.8oz) cans Tomatoes
1 (14.8oz) can Corn
1 (14.8oz) can Chick Peas
1 lb Ground Turkey
3 TBS Vegetable Oil

Directions:
1) Mix black pepper, chili powder, oregano, red pepper flakes, paprika, salt, garlic, tomatoes, chickpeas, and corn in a crockpot, set on low.
2) Brown turkey in the 3 TBS vegetable oil until cooked.
3) Put turkey in crockpot and cook on low for 4-8 hours. All the meat should be cooked already cooked, you are just allowing the flavors to blend together.

Enjoy!!

November!

November brings a lot of fun things. First off its celebrated by Halloween JUST before it begins. And this year I had a lot of fun with my son! It was his first year trick or treating!

It also brings cold in the North of the US. And so I am going to start my baking and start my crockpoting. It also means I will attempt to make somethings in the oven a bit more so that way I can warm up the house while cooking at the same time!

So what does that mean: ROASTS! Roast chicken, roast turkey, roast beef. Of course what is also a great thing to do after roasts? Soup!!! This week I am going to work with follow up recipes. What are follow up recipes? Honestly, its a recipe that uses the meat from one day or two days before so that way you can have two meals with the same proteins.

So what is on the agenda for Monday? Roast Beef for us! Sadly this cut lacks a bone in it. So I won't be able to make beef soup with the bone after, although it won't be a total loss because I will be making soup with out it.

Why soup with a bone? Well honestly, the marrow that is in the bone is something that a lot of people don't ever cook with, but they do need. It helps with arthritis as well as re-enforces your own cartliage and marrow. Go figure right? Roast is very easy to do! You put your roast in a rock pot, Cover it with water, add some onion soup, and veggies and cook all the day.

It can be served with warm rolls or bread. I highly suggest this part if you are not gluten-free or  on a lower carb diet. Why? well it just is a good way to complement the meal.

So here it is! Crock Pot Roast:

2lbs Roast Beef
1lb Baby Carrots
2 Large onions
1 Package Onion soup mix
4 cups water.
1lb potatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1) Mix up the onion soup mix per the instructions on the package. Pour into crock pot.
2) Place Meat in crock, cover and cook on high until meat is done.
3) Cut up your potatoes and onions.
4) Put onions, carrots, and potatoes in the crockpot cook for 1/2 hour or until potatoes are tender.

Serve. :-)

It will feed a family of 4 easily with left overs. I am not entirely sure how many people it will feed with out left overs. I usually make this for the left overs.

Menu planning!

Menu for October 27, 2013 through Nov 2, 2013

Day	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Main	Chicken Noodle	Chicken Pot Pie	Roast beef sandwhiches	Baked Potato Soup	Halloween	Turkey Meatloaf	Baked Zitti
Side 1	Crackers	Salad	Aus Jus			Homemade Scalloped potato	Cheddar bay Biscuits
Side 2			Home fries

This is my menu for the next week. Its nothing special it offers a few different menus for different days and since its getting colder out, I am going to be using my crock pot a lot more. How did I come up with this list? Well honestly its not that hard, through just time consuming.

The first thing I have done is figure out what proteins that I have in the house. My current list I have:

Chicken (about 2lbs)
Roast beef (1lb cook)
Roast beef (2lbs uncooked)
1lb of Hamburger
60ozes of Tuna Fish
4lbs of ground Turkey
2lbs of ground chicken.

Why so much Tuna? Honestly its a WIC Item that I get 30ozes of it a month and I have yet to figure out what to do with.

Second step is to figure out the side dishes. Most of the time I attempt to put healthy sides, usually veggies are our go to. The second side is a starch or veggie if I can't find one that fits in well. Over all I want to make sure my family is getting every food group that I can.

But What about fruits? Honestly I have a hard time trying to figure out how to put fruits in the menu. Most of the time I attempt to use them for breakfasts, and snacks. So far it seems to be working out well.

Now when I do meals like this I am attempting to figure out the balance of veggies and proteins. You can figure out what is best for your family.

Tonight's Meal: Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is something I tend to make from scratch. Its chicken stock veggies and meat. Mix together in a pot, and cook. I will post the recipe for tomorrows Menu tomorrow, but I am sure you will all enjoy it. :) If you don't know how to make chicken stock, well honestly its not that hard. Get a roast chicken, and after you eat all the meat off it, take the bones and what is left into a pot, Cover with water and cook until it all falls off the bones. You are going to want to strain out the liquid and you have stock!

Ingredients:

2 cups chicken stock
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 cups water
1lb chicken, cubed
4 carrots, Pealed and Cut.
1 Onion, Cut up
2 cups of Pasta (I used elbow macaroni)
4 TBS Italian Seasonings
1 TBS Salt
1 TBS Pepper

 I used a pot on the stove for tonight. Mixing it all together I let it cook for two hours on medium high on the stove. I made the pasta up separately and then mixed it in when it came time to eat. Over all its pretty simple and straight forward. The left overs are going to be made into chicken pot pies tomorrow.

Ooh the enchilada sauce that I made was a huge hit, only thing my husband said that could be improved on it, was it could have been spicier. Next time I am going to add another tablespoon of Chili Powder and see!

Enchilada's Part 2

So I posted last night about enchilada's and I noticed that it uses salsa. While everyone loves salsa I couldn't help but wonder, how do you make enchilada sauce.

After a few minutes on pinterest, (GOODNESS do I love that site by the way) I found a quick and easy way to make the sauce at home. I haven't tested it yet, and will be doing so with the gaming group on Saturday.

Everything can easily be found in a well stocked pantry that is on the list. I hope you enjoy!

Enchilada Sauce Recipe

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

Enchilada Sauce makes a staple ingredient to keep on hand for quick meals. Get this family-favorite homemade enchilada sauce recipe.

Author: Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Serves: 4 cups

Ingredients

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Add vegetable oil and flour to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk together to combine. Whisk in remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust spices based on your preferences.
2. Pour remaining enchilada sauce into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two weeks.

(Source: Just a pinch: Enchilada Sauce Recipe)

Who this is for...Recipe: Enchilada's

Lets face it, every other food blog out there is going to tell you, the reader, how to eat, what to eat and when to eat it. Over all that isn't fair. My job is not to be your mother, my job is to share with you awesome food that you could make at home with out being a Martha Stewart.

I don't eat the healthiest diet. I don't make the low carb food, I make food that my family eats. Who is my family? I have a husband, and two kids. The oldest of which is barely two. So I am busy! Most of my menu's are about what I can make with him sitting near by or what I can make with him under foot. So fast is good. Cheap is also good. I am not going to lie, my house is one of the many homes on WIC. This food service is focused on saving families money, and providing nutrition for them so they can eat healthy. One of the hardest things I found while on WIC was recipe's that you can make with the food. Honestly, the program is great, but some times there is just no clues from them on what to do with the food you get.

So my first set is going to be with things you can get from WIC. I will have a similar format for every recipe. A shopping list, the recipe and my own reviews of it. Mind you these are the recipe's that I follow, you can add, delete or change them as you see fit. I am not going to say I wrote any of these, in fact I will site my sources on where I get the recipe's from so their owners get credit. Most come from allrecipes.com.

Also I will go over some tidbits on how to do different things, tips or tricks can always be placed in the comments section of the blog. In fact I would LOVE to hear back from any readers I have.

The first Recipe; Enchiladas! ~by Campbell's Kitchen

Now I am not Mexican at all, so these are going to be done the American way, Aka My way!

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 1lb Cheddar cheese (WIC item)
• 1lb Flour tortillas (WIC Item)
• 1lb Meat (Chicken, ground turkey, ground beef, steak all work)
• Salsa
• Sour Cream

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium high heat until well browned. Pour off any fat. Stir in 1/2 cup sauce and 1 cup cheese.
3. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.
4. Spoon about 2 tablespoon meat mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam-side down in prepared dish. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese melts. Makes 8 enchiladas.

(Source:All Recipe's: Enchiladas)

Spice rack

What should one include in their basic spice rack? Why have spices at all? Simple; spices are the flavoring, they are the difference between eh, and YUM. Think about the last time you had a taco? Seriously its ground meat, onion, and cheese, but what makes that different then meat loaf? Simple its how its cooked and with what spices its cooked with!

So what goes into a spice rack? What do I need? Well really what you need is what flavors you enjoy, but to do that you need also whats in the recipe's. The most basic of recipe's are going to tell you what ingredients to use, so I have collected a list of what is normally in my pantry for you to start from. Acquiring these can be done over time or when you need them in a recipe!

1. Bay leaves --  These aromatic, woodsy-tasting leaves are typically sold dried. Choose those with a rich green color. Add whole bay leaves to soups, stews, and marinades; remove before serving.
2. Black Peppercorns -- A must-have for their slight pungency. Always pick whole peppercorns over preground versions: The flavor of freshly ground or cracked pepper makes the small effort in preparation well worth it.
3. Cayenne Pepper -- Made from a small, spicy red pepper, this is the foundation of many bottled hot sauces. Used frequently in Cajun and Indian recipes.
4. Chili Powder -- This is typically made from a blend of dried chilies, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Delicious in Mexican and Southwestern dishes.
5. Cinnamon, ground -- This warm, aromatic spice has a reddish brown color and a bittersweet flavor. Great for baking as well as adding an earthiness to stews, chilies, and curries. 
6. Cloves, ground -- This sweet, rich spice is a staple in holiday baking, especially gingersnaps. Use it sparingly; a little goes a long way.
7. Cream of tartar -- Derived from a crystalline acid that forms on the insides of wine barrels, this fine white powder is most often used to stabilize meringues.
8. Cumin, ground -- An aromatic, mellow spice, ground from a small seed. Delicious in Middle Eastern and Indian cooking, especially curries.
9. Curry Powder -- Up to 20 spices—including coriander, cumin, and turmeric—can make up this popular Indian blend. The Madras variety has more heat. 
10. Ginger, ground -- Ground ginger has a more intense and astringent taste than fresh ginger. Keep it on hand for baking.
11. Kosher salt --A type of coarse salt usually made without the addition of iodine. Use it in place of table salt for seasoning recipes; the larger crystals are easier to pinch with your fingers, allowing for greater control of seasoning. 
12. Nutmeg, whole -- A delicate, warm spice frequently used in baking. Also a common addition to baked winter squash, béchamel sauce, and spinach dishes.
13. Oregano, dried --A member of the mint family, this robust herb is commonly used in Mediterranean, South American, and Cajun cooking.
14. Paprika--A powder made from ground sweet red pepper pods, this is available in sweet and hot varieties. (If the type is not indicated on the bottle, it’s most likely sweet.) With a rich red color and a smooth texture, Hungarian paprika is of the highest quality. Use the spice to season meat, seafood, and vegetables. It also makes for a nice garnish on deviled eggs
15.  Crushed Red Pepper --Use the flakes of crushed red chili to spice up pastas and stir-fries or to sprinkle on pizzas.
16. Rosemary, dried --With an aroma of lemon and pine, this herb is used in an assortment of Mediterranean dishes.
17. Sesame seeds --These versatile seeds have a sweet, nutty taste that complements both savory and sweet dishes. The seeds are especially flavorful and aromatic when toasted. Store them in the freezer: Because of their high oil content, the seeds can quickly become rancid.
18. Thyme, dried --This fragrant herb lends a delicate flavor to meat, poultry, and vegetables. It’s popular in Mediterranean, Cajun, and Creole cuisines.
19. Vanilla Extract -- A baking essential made by soaking vanilla beans in alcohol. Opt for the pure rather than the imitation variety, which often has additives and an unnatural flavor.

The beginings...again.

So I had this blog for a while, but I haven't done anything with it! so now I have decided that its time to start it up again. Several wives around me have noticed how difficult is it to continually come up with something to put on the menu for their families. Not that there isn't enough choices, rather there seems to be so many, that not many even know where to start.

Lets face it, with difficult times comes the need for someone to help with options. And I am not an expert, but I have been able to put food on the table every night that is edible, so that does make me pretty good right?

Well lets try this! Sample menu's. Lets face it. I have tossed around the idea's of helping people make up menus, shopping lists, anything I can think of to make me money, and save other's a lot of money. So for the next six months I am going to make it a goal to average for a family of 4 two hundred dollars (thats $200.00) a month to feed themselves on. That is 100 every two weeks. I don't know if its going to be possible, but I feel with a well stocked pantry it will be!

So here it is: Pantry Building 101!!

What goes in the pantry: Short answer: Staples! not like the things you put paper together with, but rather the things you put meals together with. Think the basics of every meal. These are going to be the building blocks of your menu. Mine currently has

rice
flour
white sugar
brown sugar
baking soda
baking powder
corn starch
ramen noddles
corn
green beans
tomatoes
pineapple
bbq sauce
spaghetti noodles
lasagna noodles
Marinara sauce
Alfredo sauce
black beans
chickpea's
instant mashed potatoes
ketchup
soy sauce
teriyaki sauce
white vinegar
apple cider vinegar


And that is just the stuff I can list off the top of my head. I probably should go through and make up a formal list of everything just so I have it on hand. Once you have built a good pantry, the spice cabinet is next. This is all the spices you could possibly want to use in cooking. Yes there is a lot more then just salt and black pepper, and each one of them can change how food tastes and interacts with your body!