The Daily Dish Recipes

Hey guys! I didn’t disappear intentionally. Actually I had something kind of interesting happen. About a week or so ago, I had two of my children voice their opinion on my food blog. And what they had to say might surprise you. They told me they really liked it, but they wished I would remake some of the things I had already shown on here.

It was really cute actually. They were sitting at the computer, “Remember that night she made….” “Oh! That was the night that we …”. The conversation kept going as they grew more and more excited about each recipe that was shown.

So that night I made them Chicken and Dumplings (their favorite - and we are having it again tonight), and then since then we have repeated a few of their favorites from the blog. So far in the past five days we have had:

Crispy Lemon Fried Chicken
Creamy Baked Chicken (the recipe is actually for Pork Chops but I prefer Chicken)
Cajun Shrimp Pasta
Chili

 Chicken and Dumplings (I’m cooling the chicken as I type)

AND on the non-meal front we also made Chocolate Cake Balls and Moist Banana Bread

Tonight we are making a pumpkin loaf. Don’t worry, I’ll share the recipe

With my obsession with all things food, and then the fact that I truly enjoy meal planning, I can remember discovering awhile back - that most families have meal plans that consist of about 21 “Family Favorites”.  The point is, that most families have a favorite meal - they actually have 21 meals that get made the most.

I happened to stumble upon a post on the Homesteading Housewife yesterday, regarding this very 21 meal thing.

She mentioned that if she had the ingredients to make just 21 meals in her freezer or pantry at all times, she’d never have one of those “What’s for dinner” moments.

I completely agree. Meal planning is a huge benefit and if you aren’t into freezer cooking than this is the way to go.
Since I do a lot of new recipes throughout a week, I won’t give up trying new things. But I do have 21 (actually more than that) that are back ups for a meal if I don’t feel like cooking a brand new recipe. Just for the record, a few of these 21 have two items per # so I’m sure there is more than 21 meals here.

Here are our 21 meals:

1. macaroni and cheese (usually with an add-in like chicken or hotdogs)
2. Cheesy Chicken Casserole
3. spaghetti
4. Fettucine Alfredo
5. Home-made pizzas
6. Chicken and Dumplings
7. Grilled Chicken
8. Sausage and Egg Casserole (my kids would eat this daily!)
9. Hamburgers and Hot Dogs
10.  Lasagna
11. Taco’s (soft and hard) and Quesadillas
12. Cajun Pasta
13. Homemade Hamburger Pasta (its a home-made version of Hamburger Helper)
14. Chicken and Rice Casserole
15. Beef Pasta Bake
16. Sloppy Joes
17. Sandwich Wraps
18. Breakfast for Dinner (Brinner?)
19. Chicken Nuggets or Chicken Strips
20. Beef and Rice “Stew”
21. Cheeseburger Soup and Other Soups (with Grilled Cheese and a salad)

Much like Dana, I will ask:

What about you?
What foods are in your list?
Be sure to leave a link so I can read your 21 list.

Yeah, I know. You are probably thinking it sounds disgusting. In fact, you might even look at the pictures and think it looks gross. But if your kids enjoy hot dogs and beans, you will be pleasantly surprised at the smooth taste of this pie. It was so good and we will definitely be making it again.

Hot Dog Pie Recipe

1/2 lb. ground beef
6 hot dogs cut in half lengthwise and sliced
1 can of baked beans
1/4 c. ketchup
3 Tbs. prepared mustard
2 oz. process cheese, cubed (we used Velveeta)
1 unbaked deep-dish pastry shell (9 inches)
4-6 slices of American Cheese

In a large pot or pan, cook beef over medium heat until it is no longer pink. Drain the grease. Add the hot dogs, beans, ketchup, mustard and cheese cubes. Cook and stir until cheese is melted.

While that is cooking, prick your pastry shell with a fork a few times. Bake it at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Remove, and fill with the hot beef mixture. Cut each cheese slice into four strips and make a lattice style topping over the pie (see picture). Bake 5-10 minutes longer, or until the cheese is melted.

With five kids in our home, you know the focus is on frugal - period. Yes, I do focus on healthy also, but for this one … the more frugal the better.

I bet you can imagine that the fact that there are five young mouths to feed at all meals, that the chances of a picky eater increases dramatically. Guess what? We have one! Actually occasionally we have two - and interestingly they are our two oldest.

Awhile back I figured out that I had to encourage one of the pickey’s to try some new and different things. If I didn’t, either I was going to gain 100lbs eating noodles every single night or I was going to be cooking different meals every night for everyone - so NOT happening. While I don’t mind the occasional Spaghetti, Mac ‘n Cheese or Ramen Noodle Soup meal, it is definitely not going to happen that often.

Enter - the Baked Potato. Yep, that’s right. That’s my cheap meal. Seems strange doesn’t it? Actually baked potatoes are an extremely frugal food. They can be topped with all sorts of things and if you substitute one meal with overflowing baked potatoes, you can save up to $25 per month.

Just an interesting spin on frugal foods, in my opinion.

What types of frugal foods do you eat?

These are a favorite for quick meals with my kids. Sometimes we change out the deli meat we add to the middle, the baby spinach looks like lettuce and ALL five of my kids will eat it. These are so quick and easy and are so wonderful on days I don’t wish to use my oven or we are on the go (they are very easily portable wraps).

Roast Beef and Cheese Wraps

flour tortillas, warmed (one per person)
1 container of spreadable onion and chive cream cheese
1 c. baby spinach leaves
1 lb. deli cooked roast beef slices
You can also add shredded cheese, carrots, and other shredded items to the wrap for flavor

Spread the onion and chive cream cheese on one side of each flour tortilla you are making. Add the baby spinach leaves on top of the cream cheese. Next add the roast beef slices. If you are using any cheese or carrots, add them after the roast beef. Roll tightly and use toothpicks to hold in place. You can eat these right away, OR you can refrigerate them wrapped in plastic for a half hour and you probably won’t need the toothpicks. You can either cut them into slices, in half or eat them whole the way they are. These are a GREAT picnic sandwich too!!

This recipe takes less than 15 minutes to make and tastes GREAT!

Fast and Easy Orange Chicken Recipe

4 boneless and skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tbs. butter
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. orange juice
1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
1/8 tsp. pepper
salt, to taste
1 c. evaporated milk

In a skillet, saute chicken breasts in butter over med. heat until browned and cooked through. Remove chicken. Saute onion until tender. Add juice, tarragon, salt and pepper. Stir in evaporated milk. Cook while stirring until hot and slightly thickened. Spoon over chicken and serve. I think this is the easiest orange chicken recipe I have ever found.

With the warmer weather and high humidity (I’m in the midwest), using my stove top or oven is something I like to avoid at all costs. During this time of year we tend to grill a lot more, and also use the crock pot more often. A slow cooker needs less energy to run than an oven and won’t turn your kitchen hot while it cooks.

Not to mention the perk of enjoying a nice hot meal that didn’t take much to prepare.

The slow cooker also referred to as a Crock Pot is an awesome appliance to own. It can make preparing dinner, lunch or breakfast effortless. In fact, meat that is slowly cooked is far more tender than anything else you could do to it.

Depending on the size you get, storage can be an issue. We have seven family members and we own THREE slow cookers. Crazy, I know. Two are the largest we could find, and one is a smaller one (for side dishes or desserts). We have been known to have all three in use at once. I also use them when I freezer cook a lot because I can fit so much food inside and make it double time.

You can find a slow cooker that will more than likely meet your families needs at any retail store that sells kitchen items. Walmart and Target have the best deals, and the slow cookers work just as great as anywhere else. You don’t have to spend a lot to get one, and you can enjoy the ease of a crock pot all year long.

Here are three terrific slow cooker recipes for summer.

Crock Pot Shredded Beef on a Bun

1 3- to 4-pound beef brisket or roast (you can also do pork or chicken)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 medium onions, sliced
1 16-ounce jar barbecue sauce
Soft rolls or hamburger buns

Season the beef with salt and pepper to taste. You can use any seasoning you would like. Place the onions on the bottom of the crockpot and then layer the meat on top. Pour 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce over the top of the meat and stir gently to coat. Cover and cook for 9 to 10 hours on low. (you can do this overnight if you like or do it first thing in the morning). When it’s done, remove the cooked meat from the slow cooker and pour out the liquid, keeping the onions if you desire. Shred the meat with a fork. Put the meat back into the crock pot and mix the rest of the barbecue sauce in. Let it stay in the crock pot cooking for another half hour or so. Serve immediately.

Freezer Cooking: This can be frozen in portions once it has cooled and can be served at a later date. When ready to serve again, drop in a pot on the stove and allow to simmer on low until heated through. Stir often. You can also drop into a microwave safe container and heat that way.

Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken

4 lbs. chicken breasts boneless and skinless
3 t. oregano leaves, crushed
1 t. seasoned salt
1/2 t. pepper
4 T. butter
1/2 cup water
8 T. fresh lemon juice
8 cloves garlic minced
4 t. chicken bouillon
4 t. fresh parsley, chopped

Wash chicken thoroughly. Set out to dry on paper towels. In a bowl, combine the oregano, salt and pepper. Sprinkle on dry chicken, patting it in. In a skillet, melt the butter and fry the chicken breasts until they are browned. Remove chicken and place in crock pot.

Add the water, lemon juice, chicken bouillon, garlic and parsley to the skillet. Bring entire mixture to a boil, stirring often and scraping any browned bits of chicken off the bottom of the skillet. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 5-6 hours. If you wish to cook on high, you can do so for about 3 hours. When the chicken is finished, baste the chicken with the juices in the crock pot and sprinkle parsley over the chicken. Cook for at least 15-30 minutes. Serve.

Slow Cooker Ranch Potatoes

2 1/2 lbs small red potato, quartered
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 (1/16 ounce) package buttermilk ranch salad dressing mix
1 (10 1/2 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Place the potatoes in the crock pot. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients and then spoon over the potatoes. Stir the entire thing to blend well. Cover and cook on the low setting for 7 hours. Stir gently before serving. If you double or triple this recipe, it can be more than just a side dish, but a nice delicious main course. Goes great with a platter of fruit or fresh veggies.