Chicken Pie Budget Stretcher

When I was pregnant with my second child and working for 7-11, they had a frozen pie that warmed in the microwave; it was delicious. I ate my weight, literally, in those pies. My daughter came out holding one in her hand and has loved chicken pie ever since. Mine are as good, just not frozen with the ability to last until years after the last person is only a memory under the ground. They make great “take-out” lunches or a filling meal on a cool night.

Pie Filling

3 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion (diced

2 chicken breast (cooked and shredded)

3 tbsp flour

¼ cup milk

2  chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp parsley or cilantro

In 3 oz. sauté pan, over medium heat, add oil, bring up to temperature. Add onion and cook fully—becoming transparent. Add chicken, sprinkle with flour and stir thoroughly to cover ingredients. Add milk, bouillon, vegetables and spices, allow mixture to thicken and become soup like.

Preheat oven to 350-degrees

Pie Crust

2 ½ cup flour

10 tbsp Crisco

6 to 8 tbsp very cold water

2 sheets wax paper

In mixing bowl, add flour and Crisco cutting together until fine balls are made, add very cold water and knead into dough. Roll into ball and place between sheets of wax paper. With rolling pen, work dough from side to side and across until dough is approximately 1/8-inch thick. With pastry press,  place bottom on the dough and cut, remove from wax paper and place in pastry press, making a well in the center, place 2 to 3 tbsp of chicken mixture in well and close, pressing hard to cut the dough.

Bake 15 to 20-minutes. Baking time will vary for different thickness of dough or size of pastry press. Remove and allow to cool approximately 5-minutes, serve with potatoes or alone. They make a great treat for lunches. 

Note: The Pastry Press is made by Progressive, they come in a set of 4.

Simple and Quick Sausage and Broccoli Soup

Sometimes you just don’t have enough meat  to fill the plates for dinner, such was the case last night. The children—ha, they’re adults with children, but our children none-the-less—stayed for supper and I had only put out the one package of sausage; what to do? Simple, cut into quarters and dice it, add broccoli, and soup base and it’s a meal. My daughter complained that she ate too much, but that’s a given with soup…easy to over-eat a good soup.

3 tbsp olive oil

1 pckg Eckrich Mesquite Sausage (diced)

1 cup broccoli floweret’s and stems

3 to 4 tbsp Adam’s diced onions

4 tbsp flour

1/3 cup Worcestershire

2 cups water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 tsp cilantro

2 tsp garlic

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 cup milk

In a 3-oz. sauté pan, over medium-heat, add olive oil and allow to come “up too” temperature. Add the sausage, onions, and broccoli, allowing them to heat through. When the vegetables have softened, sprinkle with flour and stir together; coating the vegetables and meat. Add Worcestershire, water, and bouillon cubes, allowing them the pan to reheat the mixture. Reduce heat to medium, and add cilantro, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Add 1 cup milk and cook approximately 20 to25 minutes, reducing the heat to low and allowing the flavors to mingle properly.

Note: I did have to add a little more flour because I had underestimated the heat. You may need to add an extra tablespoon of flour before introducing the liquids. The flavor is similar to sausage and cabbage soup. Mediterranean Oregano might be substituted for the Italian Seasoning. 

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Sweet and Sour Chicken

One of my children’s favorite dishes—all those years ago—was sweet and sour chicken. My children have always been “good-eaters” but what kid doesn’t like a sweet meal, from time-to-time? To save money, buying leg and thigh quarters, is a good a deal as they are much-less expensive. Skinning the pieces, while still whole, will cut down the amount of chicken fat/grease in the pan, and marinating 2 to 3 hours prior to cooking will help saturate the meat with soy sauce.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp margarine or butter

1 medium yellow onion (diced)

1 medium green, red, or yellow bell pepper (diced)

1-small pckg chopped broccoli

3 tbsp flour

 6 to 8 thigh and leg quarters (cut at leg joint)

1-14.05 oz can diced pineapple with juice reserved

1/3 cup soy sauce

3 tbsp brown sugar or honey

1 & ½ tspPaprika

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Garlic

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350-degrees

In 3-oz sauté pan/fry pan, over medium-heat, add oil and margarine/butter, allow to come up to heat. Add onion and pepper, allowing onion to become transparent; add broccoli. Remove vegetables, place chicken in pan and brown both sides.  Add vegetables back to pan and sprinkle with flour coating meat and vegetables, cook, over medium heat, approximately 10 minutes. Place vegetables and chicken in large flat baking pan, add pineapple pieces distributing evenly. Mix together; soy sauce, brown sugar or honey, and spices; pour evenly over pan. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, checking chicken for clear juices.

Serve over rice or with mash potatoes.

Note: For those not fond of sweet entrees, omit the pineapple juice and pieces and brown sugar or honey. Add approximately ½ cup water and 2 to 3 chicken bouillon and sweet and sour chicken becomes chicken and broccoli bake.

Pat’s Two-Fer: Goulash and Stuffed Peppers

Actually called Salsa

Pat and her husband are “Winter Texans” visiting our state while the cold does its best to their home state. Through the years, they have discovered brands in the south that some Texans, me included, didn’t know were sold here. One in particular that has become a favorite with them is San Marcos Salsa, which Pat uses in her stuffed pepper recipe. With retirement comes the benefit of time to fill and a budget to stretch. Cooking two meals, at once, can save time even for those that are still in full-time employment , making a “two-fer” is ideal under any circumstance.

San Marcos Salsa may be purchased at HEB grocers in your area…if available. A fairly decent second, would be Goya’s Salsa. Recipes courtesy of Pat from Michigan.

For Goulash:

1 lb ground beef or chuck

1 lrg onion (diced)

3 to 4 cloves garlic or 2 to 3 tsp garlic powder

1 jalapeno (diced)

1 red or green bell pepper (diced)

1-14.05 oz. can tomatoes with chili peppers

1-10.05 oz can tomato soup

1-15 oz can corn

1-15oz can Trappey’s jalapinto beans (optional)

1 & ½ to tbsp chili powder

7 oz Pasta of choice—twist, ears, or rigatoni

In Dutch oven, over medium-heat, add hamburger, onion, garlic, and jalapenos, allow to cook until meat is browned, and onions have become transparent. Drain, add back to pot. Add tomatoes, tomato soup, corn, jalapeno beans, and chili powder. Cook approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Before adding pasta, remove enough to fill peppers.

Pasta should be prepared according to package directions.

For Stuffed Peppers:

San Marcos Salsa or Goya

3 lrg green or red bell peppers

1 pckg boil-n-bag rice

2 cups cheddar cheese

 Prepare rice according to package directions; mix with goulash you set aside. In 9 x 9 casserole dish, add salsa to coat bottom completely. Remove tops, seeds, and ribs from bell peppers; whole or halved, place in casserole dish on top of salsa, add goulash/rice mixture, cover with cheese and bake 35 to 45 minutes.

Note: If using garlic cloves instead of garlic powder, it is necessary to sauté the cloves with the ground beef.

Breakfast Fruit Crepes

Among the many different recipes that we use for crepes, are the kid’s all-time-favorite, the sweet crepe. Of course, if you have the time, they work equally-well as a desert crepe. Whatever your choice, they make an interesting meal or desert that leaves you with all those magic-fruit benefits.

3 tbsp butter or margarine

3 bananas, mashed

1 apple, diced

½ lb strawberries

1 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup condensed milk

10 to 12 crepes

Topping:

1 8-oz container sour cream or cream cheese

1/3 cup condensed milk

1 tsp lemon

3 tsp sugar

Make crepes, set aside to cool.

In sauté pan, over medium heat, add butter or margarine; warm through. Add bananas, apples, and strawberries, cooking until fruit is softened and juices are present in the pan. Add brown sugar, cinnamon, and mix with fruits so that all are coated. Add condensed milk and allow to thicken.

For topping: In sauce pan, over medium-high heat, add sour cream or cream cheese and condensed milk. Allow to heat and mix well, add lemon and sugar, stir until topping is the consistency of gravy, adding more milk, if necessary.

Note: Any berry that is "in-season" will work with bananas and apples. Sweet whip cream works as a good topping.

Fishy Squishy Squash

Tilapia became so popular, after several months on the shelf that it is no longer a money-saver, but it is still a favorite due to its low-fat, low-fish taste and soft white meat. Not to worry, there is a larger fillet available now that sells for much less than Tilapia; Swai. The Swai possesses all the attributes of Tilapia with an added advantage, its larger—two pieces, halved, will feed twice as many people. It’s a crowd pleaser and will work equally well in Fishy Squishy Squash.

Banana Pepper

This is a 1-pan meal, combining zucchini, summer squash, and fish. It’s not difficult to make the dish, and those that don’t like fish, will be impressed with how well the dish taste. If you cannot find banana peppers, any mild pepper will work. A large tomato helps to make the sauce, and the fish does not require a heavy batter, adding only a thickening agent as the meal cooks.

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp butter or margarine

2 Swai fillets

Flour to coat fillets

2 medium zucchini, chopped in rounds

2 medium summer squash, chopped in rounds

1 small onion, diced

2 banana peppers

1 large tomato, fairly ripe

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp turmeric (curry might be substituted)

1 tsp garlic

1 tsp cilantro or parsley

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ cup water

2 cubes chicken bouillon

In 3 ounce sauté/fry pan, over medium-heat, add olive oil and butter—allowing to heat through, do not burn. Coat Swai in flour, and light brown both sides. Remove and rest on paper towels. Reduce heat; in the pot, add squash, peppers, and onions, allowing to sweat, approximately 10-minutes. When vegetables are soft, add tomato allowing this to heat through and begin to break down. Add spices, soy sauce, water, and bouillon, cover and allow to simmer another 10 to 15 minutes. When the mixture has thoroughly mingled, place the fish back in the pot and cook  through. Do not overcook the fish--fish flakes easily when done.

Note: White wine may be used in place of the water, adding a more acidic flavor. Serving over rice will make the meal heavier and more filling; however, it’s an excellent dish for the warm spring and summer nights. Served with salad it becomes a great evening meal that one might enjoy on the patio with a small group of friends—4 to 6 squash, double the spices and water, and use appropriate proportions of fish. It is unnecessary to increase the tomato proportion.

Those that love to fish and love the taste of fish might use the daily catch. A bass, trout, or crappies are always good on a summer night and the adrenaline of the fight will only add to the flavor on the plate. Shh, don’t tell the SPCA…