Deals to Meals: $.73 Chuck Steak @ Target

Whoa...I haven't done a Deals to Meals post is quite some time. I apologize, but honestly there haven't been deals like this in a while. It has come to my attention that some may not know exactly what to do with the almost FREE chuck steak from Target this week. Here's one of favorite recipes:

Chuck Steak Italian Style

2lbs. chuck steak

1 envelope of onion soup mix

1 can peeled tomatoes

1 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. pepper

Garlic to taste

2 Tb. oil

worcestershire sauce to taste

Put oil in pan. Place meat in oil and cover with remaining ingredients. Simmer on low for 1 1/2 hrs. I usually serve this over mashed potatoes. It's delicious!

Everyone Needs a Cream Puff

I love cream puffs! I make them whenever I want to impress someone, but want to be sure not to screw it up. They are so easy, but look like they should be very complicated. Here's my recipe:

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)

1 cup of flour

4 eggs

Heat water and butter to rolling boil. Stir in flour. Stir vigorously over low heat about 1 minute or until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Beat in eggs one at a time (I use a mixer). Continue beating until smooth. Drop by 1/8 cup spoonfuls (2 Tbs.). 3" apart on a cookie sheet. Don't make them pretty - they are prettier if the less round they are. Bake for 35-40 minutes @ 350 degrees. Cool. Cut off tops and pull out any dough inside. Fill with vanilla or chocolate pudding and replace tops. Finish by dusting them with powdered sugar and/or drizzling with chocolate. Great Christmas treat! Makes about 16 puffs.

**Note: You will probably want to eat these the day they are made as they tend to get soggy with filling sitting in them.**

Deals to Meals

Deal: Ham - FREE @ Target HERE
Eggs - .99 @ Kroger
Pillsbury Pie crusts: $1 each @ Target w/ $1/2 coupon HERE
(store coupon)
also use $1/2 peelie coupon right on package (Manufacture Q)

Meal: Ham and Egg Pie

INGREDIENTS

Pastry for pie crust
2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1 1/2 c. diced cooked ham
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. milk
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle 1/2 of cheese on pie shell. Top with 1/2 of ham. Repeat layers. In bowl, combine flour, salt, pepper, and milk. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Pour over pie. Bake 55-65 minutes.

Great for Breakfast, Lunch or dinner! Cheap and so delicious!

Deals to Meals

Deal: Carnation Evaporated Milk - Free @ Kroger!

Meal: Sweet Potato Soufle (great for Thanksgiving)

Ingredients
3 large sweet potatoes cooked and whipped
1 cup sugar
2 eggs beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 bag marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Peel and cook potatoes until tender. Drain potatoes and whip. Add sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix well and put in a greased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 minutes. Place marshmallows and pecans on top and return to oven for about 5 minutes or until brown on top.

Deals to Meals

Deal: Free Carnation Evaporated Milk @ Kroger

Meal: Chocolate Toffee Trifle

***Here's the sweet Deal to Meal (can you tell I love chocolate?)***

(adapted from a wonderful Paula Dean recipe)

Ingredients
1 box chocolate cake mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
1/2 cup strong coffee
2 cups fudge sauce, recipe follows, or 1 (16-ounce) jar fudge sauce
3 chocolate covered toffee candy bars, broken into pieces
1 1/2 cups heavy cream whipped and sweetened with 1/3 cup sugar

Directions
Prepare the cake according to the package directions for a 9 by 13-inch cake. Cool thoroughly.
Prick the entire top of the cake with a fork. Pour coffee liqueur over the cake and allow it to soak in. Wrap the cake with plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Slice the cake into 1-inch thick pieces.
Line the bottom of a large glass bowl with a single layer of cake. Pour 1/4 of the fudge sauce over the cake, top with 1/4 of the candy bar-bits then 1/3 of the whipped cream. Repeat layering 2 more times ending with fudge sauce and candy bits. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cook's Note: Assemble the trifle shortly before serving or it will get soggy.

Hot Fudge Sauce:
1 (4-ounce) bar German chocolate
1/2-ounce unsweetened chocolate
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
To make the sauce: Melt the German chocolate with the butter in a saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the powdered sugar, alternating with evaporated milk and blending well. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the mixture becomes thick and creamy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.

Deals to Meals: Dangerous Chocolate Cake

One of my readers, Elizabeth, sent this recipe to me. I thought it was a great idea and wanted to share it with the rest of you.

Deal: $1.50/1 Nestle Tollhouse chocolate morsels here
Meal: 5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Deals to Meals

Deal: Jello - FREE @ Meijer!

Meal: My grandmother's pretzel jello

This dish is something my grandmother would make all the time for her grandchildren. There isn't a holiday meal for our family that you didn't see this dish somewhere on the table. I'm really not a "jello" kind of girl but something about the sweet and salty combination is just delicious!

2 cups crushed pretzels

3/4 cup melted butter

3 Tbs. sugar

1 (60z.) strawberry jello - 2 cups boiling water

20 oz. unsweetened frozen strawberries

1 (8oz.) cream cheese

1 (80z.) cool whip

1 cup sugar

Mix crushed pretzels, butter, and sugar together and press into a 9x13 dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes and let cool.

Combine cream cheese, cool whip, and sugar. Spread on cool crust. Mix jello with water then add frozen strawberries. Stir until berries soften and jello starts to thicken. Gently pour and spread mixture on top of cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until set.

Deals to Meals

Deal: Apples $0.88lb @ Kroger

Meal: Simple Syrup for Apples (or just about anything else - go ahead stick your finger in it!)

1 cup of whipping cream

2 cups of brown sugar

Heat over med. heat until bubbling. Remove from heat. We had this last night with pancakes and sliced apples. My kids thought we'd died and gone to heaven! Enjoy.

Deals to Meals

I am continuing with the idea that sometimes we need a little inspiration when we stock up on certain items.

DEAL: This week chicken breast was on sale at Kroger for $1.87 lb.

MEAL: Cracker Chicken Fingers

1lb Chicken breast cup up into "fingers"
1 1/2 sleeves of crushed Ritz crackers coupon here
1 c. flour
2 eggs
splash of milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. poultry seasoning
1 Tbsp. parsley

Mix flour salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, and parsley together in a shallow dish. Mix eggs and milk together in a separate shallow dish. Place crushed crackers in a third shallow dish. Roll chicken through flour, then egg mixture, then crackers. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cook chicken at 415 degrees for about 12 minutes.

I like to serve with a variety of sauces. Here are two of my favorites:

Honey Mustard
1/2 cup mayo
1 Tbsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. honey

Blue Cheese Buffalo Sauce
1/3 Blue cheese dressing
1 Tbsp. Frank's buffalo sauce

Match a Coupon to a Sale, and an Item to a Recipe

Okay so we all know how to match a coupon to a sale, but what do you do with these items when you get home with them? Here's my new idea: match your sale item to a recipe. Since this is my first post on this topic I'm going to match an item that I got a few weeks ago, but that is on sale quite a bit at Meijer: kielbasa. Two weeks ago Meijer ran the buy one get two free sale so I've got a stock pile of kielbasa in my freezer. Here's the recipe match for this item:

Creamy Bean Soup (It is such a good fall dinner!)

1lb. Kielbasa (sliced in rounds or diced)

4-6 slices of bacon (diced)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 large onion (diced)

4 Tbsp. of butter

32. oz. of Busch's home style baked beans

3 c. half and half

Saute kielbasa, bacon, garlic, and onion in butter until bacon is cooked. Add beans and simmer for 3 minutes over med. to low heat. Add half and half. Increase or decrease half and half for preferred thickness. Serve with corn muffins (I use Jiffy - super cheap)

Tell me what you think!

Sinfully Delicious Dip (I really don't know why I'm sharing this one!)

You will love this dip - I promise! It is so good and so easy.

(2) 8oz. blocks of softened cream cheese

(1) pkt. of ranch dressing

(1/2) red pepper diced

(1) 4 oz. can chopped olives

(1) 4 oz. can chopped green chilies (Mexican food section w/ tacos)

(1) 15 oz. can of corn

Mix all ingredients and chill for one hour. Serve with tortilla chips (my favorite chips are the On the Border brand. They are amazing and surprisingly cheaper than most). Enjoy!

Let me know how you like it!

A new twist on Pizza!

My family loves pizza, but we don't order it very much, for two reasons: 1) I'm from New Jersey (but live in Indiana), so I am a real pizza snob, and 2) it is so expensive anymore. So, I buy a package of pizza crusts (the kind that are already made, usually the knock-off Baboli ones), and I make two different kinds of pizzas.

BBQ Chicken

1 chicken breast (or half can of 12.oz chicken)
1/2 c. sweet BBQ sauce
small red onion
1 c. Swiss cheese
cilantro

Spread half the BBQ sauce on the pizza crust and mix the other half with the chicken in a bowl. Slice the onion thinly and cook on Med. heat with a little olive oil and butter. Cook until onion turns light brown (caramelizes). Sprinkle onion on pizza, followed by the chicken. Spread cheese on top and cook according to package directions. When it's done sprinkle chopped cilantro on top! It really is delicious!

Buffalo Chicken

1 chicken breast (or half can 12.oz chicken)
1/4 c. to a 1/2 c. Frank's red hot sauce
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. oregano

Melt a Tbs. of butter with 1/4 c. Frank's sauce. Spread on pizza. Mix chicken with a little hot sauce and than add to pizza. Sprinkle oregano over pizza and then add cheese. Cook according package instructions. Dip in blue cheese or ranch dressing. Fabulous!

I usually serve both of these with a Cesar salad. It's a great, quick, unique dinner. I know your husbands or any men in your life will love it!

I love Pecans!

So one of my all time favorite things to do is caramelize pecans. Okay, maybe not "all-time", but I do love some caramelized pecans, strawberries, feta cheese, and romaine lettuce all topped with my favorite Ken's raspberry pecan salad dressing. It is delicious!

So here it is:
1 c. of pecans
2 Tb. of butter
2 Tb of brown sugar
(these are estimates - I just use what looks good)

melt butter in saucepan. add pecans and brown sugar. stir together and cook over med. heat for about 10 min. you'll start to smell the pecans. let cool completely.

slice strawberries, crumble feta, and place over romaine lettuce. sprinkle your pecans and drizzle with that fabulous ken's raspberry pecan (it's fat free,too!) It really is wonderful. Enjoy!