Keeping
an Eye out for Food Sales
and how to take advantage!
Friends,
slave has had a busy week, but has NOT forgotten you! Once a week or
so, the local grocery store runs a special on meat. If you buy any
three packages with a yellow sticker on it, the price is $5 each!
Don't
shy away from these deals because you are only cooking for two! Let
slave offer just one of many possibilities to take advantage of this.
FIRST
CHECK the “SELL BY” DATES! Slave always urges you to do this
twice: once when you put it in your cart and the second
time when you take it out for the checker-person!
Slave
picked up these three packages:
Ground
round (1.4 lbs) $8.81
Porkloin
roast (1.6 lbs) $7.98
Chicken
Thighs (5.4lbs) $14.09
Total
Paid only $15.00
Saved:
$15.88
=================================
This
is how slave used them! (1 ½ lbs hamburger)
Sleazy
Shepherds Pie
First
night, separated about a third of the ground round, and browned that
loose in a saute pan, froze the rest (aprox 1 lbs) in a re-closeable
plastic freezer bag. Always repackage to freeze!
Took
out about a cup of leftover vegetables, and warmed them, while fixing
a serving of (yech) instant mashed potatoes. Yes, however, they were
given to slave and the flakes do come in handy at times to thicken up
a sauce, but more on that latter.
Now
simply combine everything and tear up some slices of cheese on top
Bump in microwave for about 1 minute just to melt the cheese and you
have a quick and great tasting Shepherds Pie!
One
meal down and meat that can be quickly thawed out for a one skillet
dinner anytime! At least 4 meals depending on what type you fix.
The
second night: Porkloin
roast 1/1/2 lbs
Piggy
that went to Heaven Roast
Preheated
oven to 350 degrees.
Prepared
some of slaves baked beans:
Recipe
posted in blog for 4th of July
4
strips of bacon fried crisp - save drippings and add to beans.
2
(15-ounce) Cans Bush’s vegetarian baked beans
1
cup diced Granny Smith apple Peeled and cored
1
cup diced yellow onion
¼
cup brown sugar
1
teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1
teaspoon dry mustard
Spray a heavy Dutch Oven (or other baking dish).
Place
the pork roast in the pot and cover with the beans.
Lay strips of
bacon on top and bake for 1hour and 45 mins or until thermometer in
the center of meat reaches 165 degrees.
Remove
the roast and wrap in foil to rest for 5 minutes while you remove the
beans to a serving bowl.
While
that was baking, slave zapped a package of frozen stir fry vegetables
($1.19) in the microwave.
You
will not believe how good this tastes AND how little work it takes.
(as a mater of fact slave was re-building a recliner while this
cooked!)
2
dinner entrees and still have enough meat left over for another 2
meal casserole or more!
For
the third night: A big package of 12 Chicken Thighs
Orange
Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs
For
this, slave got out and checked its big cake pan to make sure the
chicken would all fit! Then line it with foil and spray it well.
Preheat
oven to 400 degrees
12
skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (approx 5 ½ lbs)
1
¼ cup orange marmalade
½
cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1
tablespoon low-sodium teriyaki sauce (or low-sodium Worcestershire
sauce)
2
tablespoons maple syrup
Approx
1lbs fresh Brussels Sprouts
Pkg
Long grain rice
½
cup bottled bar-b-que sauce
Directions:
Heat
2 tbs oil on medium high heat in large frying pan. Working in
batches (depending on the size of your pan) brown the thighs skin
side down, About
3 -4 minutes, until the skin
is a golden brown and slightly crisp. Don't worry about cooking it
all the way through, that will be done in the oven. This
just prepares the skin to make a crust.
Place
them skin side up in the pan as they are ready.
Meanwhile,
whisk together the orange marmalade, broth, teriyki sauce, (or
low-sodium Worcestershire sauce) mix in
the maple syrup, stirring it up again
just before you use it.
Please
use the real thing! The fake flavored stuff might be OK for pancakes
in a hurry but for real cooking it takes the real thing for it to
come out right.
Brush
the chicken well with the sauce, in fact after all is covered, just
pour the rest over it!
Bake
for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer
inserted into the thickest part of a center thigh reads 170
degrees – or the juices run clear!
Again:
while the chicken is browning for the pan, wash the sprouts well in
a vinegar-water bath. Cut
off the base and cut the head in half down the center. In a small
bowl mix together 2 tbs of oil and 1 tbs of Maple syrup, then toss
the spouts til lightly coated. Spread onto a foil lined pan.
The
rice called for 2 cups water and 1 cup of rice. So I used the rest
of the can of chicken broth for the water. It cooks for 20 minutes
so: as soon as rice and water boil cover and lower heat to simmer.
Slide the pan of chicken into the oven. After about 5 minutes
slide in the Brussels sprouts. (watch these for they are
known to burn easily), however with the sweat taste of the maple and
the natural roasting they will almost be candy-like if done right!
Serve
with some bottled BBQ sauce to pour on the rice! Heaven!
Slave
got two meals and a lunch out of this, Then:
The
remaining cooked thighs:
Peel
and save the skins to re-fry– they make a bacon substitute that
will be OK and much less fat. Just don't expect to close your eyes
and taste bacon!
De-bone
the meat and divide into two different re-closeable freezer bags.
Now
slave has 1 bag of cooked chicken meat for a 3 – 4 dinner
casserole. 1 bag skin for bacon substitute!
AND
1 bag for make – ahead appetizers for the big Thanksgiving dinner!
Recipes
to follow!
Fourth
night: After 2 meals and a lunch of the baked bean pork roast, still
had about ¾ lbs of pork left So:
Piggy
Alfredo style
¾
lbs of cooked pork roast
½
of a one pound package of wide noodles ($1.19)
14.5
oz jar of Alfredo Sauce ($1.69)
1
package frozen broccoli spears ($1.10)
¼
cup cut up onion
While
cooking the noodles in boiling water, I microwaved the broccoli
spears only half of the suggested time.
Cut
up the pork in to chunks less than an inch wide.
Cut
the broccoli into approx the same size.
Heat
the pork, broccoli, onion and sauce in a pan until bubbling. Mix with
cooked noodles into a sprayed casserole to serve.
(after
two full plates of this great tasting mixture, slave forced away from
the table and filled another freezer bag with the remaining food).
I'm
sure to get at least another two meals out of that.
Now
count up the meals, count up the costs, then set aside the money you
save so that you can get a nice Christmas Present for Master!
Serving
Master Indy
Socialslave
To
satisfy and restore. To nourish, support and maintain. To gratify,
spoil, comfort and please, to nurture, assist, and sustain …..I
cook!