Risotto

Another favorite classic Italian dish at my house is Risotto. This is a rice dish made with Arborio (or more simply, medium grain rice). It is a more time-consuming recipe than most rice dishes. Instead of just dumping the water and rice into a pot and forgetting about it for 20 minutes, you gradually add broth as it's absorbed by the rice. Even though you do have to watch it for 20 min., it is very easy to make and the you end up with a nice creamy dish.

Like Frittata, this dish is versatile and you can easily substitute ingredients, but you always use Parmesan cheese.

Here is a very basic recipe for risotto.

Here is a recipe for Risotto Primavera. (Personally, I leave out the icky peas.)

If all you have in your pantry is long grain rice, it'll still work but the medium or short grain is better. I've never tried it with brown rice.

UPDATE: I tried it with brown rice. DON'T do it. It was a total failure. The brown rice takes too long to absorb the liquid so it evaporates before it cooks the rice.

Have It Your Way Frittata

My family loves Frittata. If you haven't had this Italian egg dish before, its kind like an oven omelet. My favorite is spinach with Swiss cheese and the runner up is broccoli with cheddar cheese.

The recipe I use can be found HERE. I cut this out from USA Magazine years and years ago and used it so often that it finally fell apart. This is a very basic recipe that you can modify to your tastes.

Going Vegetarian

One way to save money on your grocery bill, in addition to improving your health, is to cut back on meat consumption.

Also, during this time of Lent, many people abstain from meat for spiritual reasons.

Over the next month, I plan to post a vegetarian recipe each day to help those of you who need a little help going meatless.

Homeschool Pringle Challenge

From my inbox:

For immediate release!! Share with all homeschoolers you know!!

Objective:
For students to design and test a container for shipping a single Pringles™ potato chip, via the US Postal Service. The participating homeschools will be matched up via this web page. Students will exchange packages with homeschools somewhere in the United States. Upon arrival the packages will be evaluated and scored using the format in the scoring section.

Goal:
To engineer the package to have the smallest volume and smallest mass that will protect the chip so that it arrives at its destination undamaged.

www.freewebs.com/homeschoolpringles

Grocery Tip #17: Go to the Store Early Morning

If possible, I try to get to the grocery store in the early morning. One, it's not too crowded at that time. Two, often times there are loads of 40% off deals waiting for me. Produce, bakery goods, and meat close to their expiration date are marked down to sell fast and make room for the day's fresh items. This is true for discount clubs like Sam's too.

With my brood, food goes fast so if I buy something on the verge of expiration it's no big deal. If it doesn't look like it'll get eaten that day or next, there is always the freezer. And over-ripe fruit makes great fruit leather!

Refunds on Tainted Peanut Butter

There are refund options if you have the tainted peanut butter on your shelf. Read HERE for more information.

As of Feb. 16, ConAgra Foods has authorized retailers to accept returns of open or unopened jars of Peter Pan Peanut Butter or Great Value Peanut Butter marked with a product code beginning with 2111 for a full refund. You should return your peanut butter to the store where you bought it.

Or you can send your Peter Pan Peanut Butter or Great Value Peanut Butter lid or label with the product code beginning with 2111 to ConAgra Foods along with your name and mailing address for a full refund. That mailing address is ConAgra Foods, P.O. Box 3768, Omaha, NE 68103.

Peanut Butter Recall

From Thrifty Homeschool member Heather:

Some tainted peanut butter is being blamed for a nationwide outbreak of salmonella.The Food and Drug Administration is warning people not to eat certain jars of Peter Pan or Great Value (Wal mart brand) peanut butter. Those jars have a product code on the lid that begins with the number "2111." The peanut butter is produced by ConAgra Foods.Federal health officials said the outbreak has sickened 288 in 39 states, including Pennsylvania.If you have the peanut butter, send lids
from the jar, your name and address to: ConAgra Foods, P.O. Box 3768, Omaha, NE 68103.For more information, call 1-866-344-6970.

They are saying to throw out all questionable jars. The cases have risen to over 300. This is totally crazy that such a thing has happened. Please be safe.

Bishop on Poverty

What's So Great about Being Poor?
by Bishop Emil Wcela

If being poor and hungry is so much to be desired, why do our parishes collect and distribute food, or provide clothes from their thrift shops, or help with rent payments?

About: Super Bowl Food

About: Superbowl Recipes and Quick Party Food Tips

Recipe: Faux Lil' Smokies

From Thrifty Homeschooler Member Sarah:

Our favorite to have at any party is little smokies. Instead of using the true little smokies I use cut up hot dogs. In a slow cooker I mix together 1 bottle barbecue sauce (I use a sweet hickory flavor but you can use whatever kind you would like.) To this I add 1 jelly jar (usually grape but have used blackberry when no grape in the house.) add 2 packages of cut up hot dogs (20 hot dogs total). Leave on low.

Recipe: Chili Cheese Dip

From Thrifty Homeschool member Michelle:

Here's an easy one:

Chili Cheese Dip
1 block of cream cheese (8 oz)
1 can Hormel chili, any flavor or about 1 cup of homemade chili
Salsa (use the chili can and fill it about 3/4 full of salsa..about 1 cup)
1 cup of shredded cheese, whatever type you like
tortilla chips or corn chips

In a deep dish pie plate (I use my glass one), layer cream cheese, chili, salsa and top with cheese. Bake in a 350 degree oven until bubbly. Serve with chips! Yummy, easy, quick and relatively inexpensive!

Recipe: Avocado Black Bean Dip

My friend Julie makes the most awesome avocado dip whenever we have a get together. Everyone loves it! And avocados are on sale for $1 this week.

I don't exactly have Julie's recipe, but here's how I make it:

Avocado Black Bean Dip

2 avocados, mashed
1 tsp. lime or lemon juice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 jalapeno (2 if you really like spicy), chopped
1 can chopped tomatoes, drained well
salt, pepper, and cumin to taste

Mix it all up and enjoy!

Recipe: Hot Chicken Wings

From a Thrifty Homeschooler member:

My family's favorite Super Bowl recipe is hot chicken wings.

1 large pack of wings
1 tbsp. butter
1 medium size bottle of hot sauce (I use Frank's)

Cut the wings at the joints, throw out the tips. Line a large shallow pan with foil and lightly coat with oil. Put the butter and all the hot sauce in a pot and heat just till the butter melts. Put the wings on the pan; skin side up, brush on sauce, then flip them over, brush sauce on backs. Put the wings in oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Take the wings out, pour off the fat, turn the wings over, coat the skin side again. Back into the oven for 30 minutes. Take out, pour off the fat, put wings into a dish, coating with sauce as you put them in. Serve with Marie's blue cheese salad dressing and celery sticks. The wings come out crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, hot and delicious.

I hope those who choose to try my recipe enjoy it as much as my family and friends do. Bon Appetite.

Super Snacks For the Super Bowl

The theme of my grocery store's ads this week is The Big Game. They have loads of snack makings on sale, such as avocados, cheese, and salsa. But they're also advertising party platters that cost a bundle. For example they have a Mexican layered dip for $11.99 that I could make for a quarter of that price.

So, for the rest of the week, I'll be posting easy, inexpensive, snacks for your Super Bowl Party. If you have a favorite to share, leave it in the comments and I'll bring up here.

First, here's that Layered Mexican Dip Recipe:

8 oz. sour cream
1 c. colby/jack cheese, shredded
Green onions, chopped
Black olives, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Bean dip
Guacamole dip
Salsa
Lettuce, shredded
Tortilla chips for dipping

Reserve 1 heaping tablespoon sour cream for garnish, mixing remainder with 1/2 package taco seasoning. Layer in plate in this order: bean dip on the bottom, guacamole, sour cream mixture, salsa, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, green onion, black olives; top with dollop of plain sour cream. Dip from outer edge to center.

There are about a million versions of this dip. You could google "Layered Mexican Dip" or just make up your own, using your favorite items.

Labels and Blogger

Blogger has a new feature: Labels.

If you look to the sidebar, you'll see a list of labels. For example, if you click on "Canning," then all of my posts on the topic of canning will pop up.

Pretty neat!

Should make this blog much more user friendly and helpful for you.

About: Frugal Living: Plastic Bags

Whoda ever thunk to use plastic bags to make bathroom mats. For real! Go here to find useful ways to re-use your plastic grocery bags.

Cheap Family Inspires Others to Save

My friend Linda sends this article:

How Cheapest Family in America Saves Cash

Kiss More, Earn More, and Live More

I heard on the radio this evening about a study which shows that men who kiss their wives goodbye every morning live 5 years longer and earn 20% more in wages. So, ladies, don't let your husband leave for work without first getting your kiss!

Stretching the Icing

If you use the store bought cake frosting, whip it up a couple of minutes with your mixer. It'll double in size and go twice as far. Plus, it'll be lighter and fluffier. And, hey, if you're on a diet, it's a good thing as you'll use half the icing and take in half the calories!

Emergency Kitchen Substitutions

Do you ever find yourself all geared up and ready to make a favorite recipe but then discover you're staring at an empty container of a needed ingredient? Ugh. You don't want to run out to the store right now. So what do you do?

Find out here: Emergency Kitchen Substitutions by Debora Taylor-Hough