A day late and a dollar short as usual...

I've been meaning to do the LOK Kitchen Challenge all month. My camera has been "borrowed" for the long term by someone who will remain nameless. (think they'd be happy if I said Merry Christmas and then bought myself a new one with my income tax refund? lol) I'd have to buy the ingredients since we're eating out of our freezer right now with lots of venison and I can't include that into the price of the meals...and I can't buy it right now.

So I'm doing it unofficially and with a little twist to show that it's not so hard to do. No pictures, no actual meals made but all actual prices used. While I've noticed people not using what they paid for things because they buy in bulk or from a discount store like Aldi's. I say too bad!!! I'm not getting an expotential amount of money ($10 for 4 people so 12 people should get $30 with all things being fair). So I'm allowing myself to use my price cutting tricks to help me make my meals (buying bulk from apple farm, shopping at wholesale clubs and discount markets). I've noted the store on parenthesis that has the price I quote

The way I figured things was I'd try to keep my meals within a certain price frame...$4 each for breakfast and lunch...$7 for dinner. I'm feeding 12 people. My estimated cost of bread dough is under $1 for a 2 loaf recipe.

Breakfast

Eggs, Toast, Bananas $3.90
2.40... 2 dozen eggs (BJ wholesale)
1.00... 2 loaves of bread (see note above)
.48... 1 lb bananas (walmart)

Apple Oatmeal $3.50
1.55... 2/3 box of Walmart oatmeal (30 servings/container)
1.00... lots of apples (apple farm)
.60... quart of milk (walmart)
.35... 1/2 pound brown sugar (BJ wholesale)

Pancakes, Bananas $3.64
1.20... box pancake mix (aldi)
.60... 1/2 bottle pancake syrup (Aldi)
.40... 2 sticks margarine (walmart)
1.44... 3 lbs bananas

Yogurt with Bananas and brown sugar, Toast $3.76
1.00... 2 loaves bread
.98... 2 lbs bananas
1.60... 8 cups homemade yogurt
.18... 1/4 lb brown sugar

Frozen Waffles with ice cream $3.62
2.40... 24 frozen waffles (dollar store)
1.22... quart ice cream (walmart)

Peanut Butter Toast, Bananas $3.44
1.00... 2 loaves of bread
1.00... jar of peanut butter
1.44... 3 lbs bananas

French Toast $3.68
2.00... 4 loaves of bread
.80... 8 eggs
.30... 2 cups milk
.40... 2 sticks margarine
.18... 1/4 pound confectionary sugar


Lunch

Any of the meals above, any leftovers from dinner

Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches $4.00
1.50... 3 loaves of bread
1.00... jar of peanut butter
.50... jelly/jam
.99... 1 lb baby carrots (walmart)

Baked Potatoes and toppings $3.77
1.44... 8 lbs baked potatoes (apple farm)
.40... 2 sticks margarine
1.33... pt of sour cream (BJ's wholesale)
1.00... half jar of salsa (walmart)

Black bean and cheese quesadillas $4.00
1.00... double batch homemade tortillas
2.00... 8 oz shredded taco cheese (walmart)
.50... can of black beans (aldi's)
.50... 1/4 jar salsa

Ramen noodles with veggies, apple slices $3.86
2.00... 12 pkgs ramen noodles (BJ's wholesale)
.37... can of sweet corn
.37... can of green beans
.37... can of sweet peas
.75... apple slices

Boxed Mac and Cheese with broccoli $3.70
2.00... 4 boxes Mac and Cheese (Aldi's)
.40... 2 sticks margarine
.30... 2 cups milk
1.00... 1 lb frozen broccoli (BJ's wholesale)

Dinner

Chicken and gravy, mashed potatoes, bread $5.99
3.00... 3 lbs chicken thighs (BJ's Wholesale)
.50... chicken boullion
1.44... 8 lbs potatoes
1.00... bread
.40... 2 sticks margarine

Cowboy Beans $6.90
2.00... 2 lbs hot dogs (walmart)
3.00... 9 cans pork and beans (aldi's)
.50... onion
1.00... bread
.40... 2 sticks margarine

Spaghetti, bread $5.80
2.40... 3 lbs spaghetti (BJ's wholesale)
2.00... 2 cans spaghetti sauce (price chopper)
1.00... bread
.40... 2 sticks margarine

Spanish Rice $6.50
2.00... 1 lb ground beef
.50... green pepper
1.00... 1.5 lbs rice (4 cups) (BJ's wholesale)
.40... 2 sticks margarine
1.60... 2 cans crushed tomatoes/puree (wegmans)
1.00... can of whole tomatoes (wegmans)

Chili $6.76
2.00... 1 lb ground beef
.50... green pepper
.66... 2 pkts chili seasoning (dollar store)
1.60... 2 cans crushed tomatoes/puree
1.00... can of whole tomatoes
1.00... bag of dried kidney beans


Chicken noodle soup $6.22
3.00... 3 lbs chicken thighs
.50... boullion
1.00... wide egg noodles
.40... 2 lbs potatoes
.66... 2 cans green beans
.33... 1 can sweet corn
.33... 1 can sweet peas

Bean and Cheese burritos
2.44... 2 lg cans refried beans
2.00...
1.00... double batch homemade tortillas



Stir Fry $6.90
.60... 3 cups rice
3.00... 3 lb broccoli normandy (BJ's wholesale)
3.00... 3 lbs meat (this week different stores in the area have pot roast, boneless breast, ground beef, and assorted pork chops for $1.99 or less)
soy sauce and brown sugar for

So pick and choose. Could my family survive on this? Yes. Would they be happy? No! The might with a few dollars alloted to me a day. Giving us room for an after school and/or bedtime snack. Figuring most of my meals left a tiny bit of change left I figured I'd include a cheap snack category too. I'll keep them at $1.50 or less

Apples
Apple slices with peanut butter
Popcorn...various flavors
Pretzels with honey and mustard dip
Baby carrots and dip

Hmmm...getting ready to post this I looked back at the rules. I see I broke the dinner must include sides rule. It took much work to not post, (took me 2 days!) so I'm going to post it anyways. Thing is, this is how we eat...a large amount of a dish with bread as a filler if need be. I guess it's a good thing it's unofficial. lol

Walmart 10/29

Shopping AGAIN! Seems like I do it WAY too much.

5.94 - 6 water refilled containers - 3gal each
3.78 - GV instant coffee
9.60 - 4 gallons skim milk
8.00 - 4 Kraft extra sharp cheese, 8oz blocks
4.00 - 2 Kraft colby jack cheese, 8oz blocks
8.00 - 4 Kraft shredded mozzarella cheese, 8oz
4.00 - 4 Kraft shredded italian cheese. 8oz
6.00 - 6 Kraft shredded taco cheese, 8oz
4.38 - 6 lbs blue bonnet margarine, sticks
6.08 - 5qt bucket strawberry swirl ice cream
3.98 - bag banquet chicken patties, 12 ct
2.00 - Sam's choice salsa
3.27 - GV ranch dressing
4.58 - GV sugar, 10#
2.36 - GV oatmeal
2.78 - 2 GV snack crackers
1.24 - GV white bread
1.47 - White corn chips
1.12 - Bite size tortilla chips
1.53 - GV crunchy cheese curls
1.53 - GV cheese puffs
1.18 - GV mini pretzel twists
.33 - reeses peanut butter cups (snack in car)
.33 - hershey chocolate bar w/almonds (snack in car)

Total - $87.94 ($87.42 + $.52 tax)

Running total since 10/17 - $407.33

Apple farm 10/24

I almost forgot the apple farm we went to on Friday! The kids had the day off. (a little out of order but won't hurt anything...don't want to mess with posting times and running totals now)

25.00 - 5 grocery bags of apples (approx 100#)
12.00 - bushel box of butternut squash
9.00 - 50# chef's potatoes
3.00 - HUGE head of cauliflower
4.50 - cinnamon rolls (treat for the car)

Total - $53.00

Running total since 10/17 - $319.39

BJ's Wholesale Club 10/25

Catching up on my shopping trips...
Notes include...

# = pounds
! = sale or clearance
* = buy one get one free
** = buy one get two free
c = used a coupon

3.49 - Hannah Montana fruit roll ups - 42ct C
5.99 - 2 Dunkroos - 24ct *
8.69 - Act II microwave popcorn - 36ct
2.79 - Domino brown sugar - 4#
7.99 - Gold Medal flour - 20#
7.99 - Child's play candy mix (Danielle bought with birthday money)
7.89 - Maruchan ramen noodle - 48ct
2.99 - onion bagels - 12ct
2.99 - assorted bagels - 12ct
2.59 - garden salad mix - 3#
4.59 - romaine salad mix - 2#
3.99 - Crowley sour cream - 3#
5.99 - large eggs - 5dz
3.79 - gallon orange juice
7.18 - 2 gallons apple cider
7.02 - 3 gallons skim milk

Total - $84.96 (not sure on tax...misplaced receipt)

Running total since 10/17 - $266.39

Price Chopper trip 10/21

Catching up on shopping trips

Was a quick run in before we headed to a baby shower. We hit a overflowing bakery markdown rack which I took full advantage of.

Notes include...

# = pounds
! = sale or clearance
* = buy one get one free
** = buy one get two free
c = used a coupon


13.68 - 6pkgs Boneless chicken tenderloin - $1.99/lb
3.99 - Banquet chicken patties - 12ct - !
7.98 - 2 pkgs banquet honey battered chicken nuggets - !
4.29 - 3 pkgs 12oz Kielbasa - **
4.58 - 2 gallons skim milk
3.96 - 12ct 4oz Dannon yogurt - !C
5.97 - 3 pkgs 1pound butter - sticks - !
4.00 - 4 cans 26oz DelMonte spaghetti sauce - !
4.17 - red seedless grapes - $.99/lb - !
4.41 - tote apples - $.99/lb
5.98 - 2 pkgs tangerines - 3#ea
2.50 - peanut m&m's (was bringing to the shower)- !
2.50 - 4pk choco (as it's listed on my receipt...can NOT think of what it is!)
Bakery markdown - !!!!!!!!
3.75 - 3 pkgs assorted muffins - 4ct each
3.00 - 2 loaves dark rye bread
3.00 - 3 pkgs apple crumb cake
1.00 - citrus creme cake
1.00 - strawberry creme cake
1.00 - cherry danish ring
1.00 - have no clue, overcharge maybe?

Total - $86.63 ($86.43 + $.20 tax)

Running total since 10/17 - $181.43

Menu... October 26 - 31

Sunday... Venison stew, bread and butter
Monday... Kielbasa with beans, salad
Tuesday... Chicken stirfry with rice
Wednesday... Venison Chili, bread sticks
Thursday... Shrimp Alfredo
Friday... Halloween...probably get $5 pizzas or dollar menu stuff.
Saturday... Harvest feast at church...dinner there

I went shopping and blew my menu

After Monday I didn't follow my menu at all.

Tuesday I left early for a baby shower and a night out (and a stop at the grocery store). I turned the fixings for potpie/pasty into chicken and rice soup which everyone said was yummy. :o)

Wednesday I fell off the menu planning wagon and went with super easy frozen honey battered chicken nuggets and tater tots.

Thursday found me going for the bags of frozen chicken products again. This time it was chicken patties. The kids micro'ed them then sliced them on top of a cheesey tortilla for chicken quesadilla.

Friday we were out on an adventure including a dinnertime stop for soft serve ice cream. So it cauliflower and dip, apples, micro'ed butternut squash (things we bought at a apple farm) and CORN.

Saturday the girls and I went out for the evening and had chinese buffet for a late lunch. We munched when we got home. The guys had nachos and whatever else they could find.

So one rule to stick with my plan...do not shop mid plan!!

Scalloped Potatoes

I hope I can write this out correctly as this is generally a throw everything in a pan willy nilly type of dish. When my mom makes this she slices the potatoes thinly and layers everything neatly in the bowl...but I'm not my mom.



Makes 2 11x17 lasagna pans.

6 20oz bags Hash brown potatoes
6 10.5oz cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 sticks of butter
2/3 c flour
salt
pepper
milk
onion, chopped (optional but highly recommend)

Thinly sliced potatoes is what's originally called for. I find the hash browns quicker and they were on sale. If you use sliced potatoes you'll have to increase your cooking time (by about an hour, I'm guessing)

Mix potatoes, onions and cream of mushroom soup
spread in pan
drop pats of butter over top of potatoes
sprinkle flour over potatoes
mix a little milk into potatoes until they are loose
add more milk over potatoes until it reaches the top of the potatoes
add salt and pepper

Bake about 2hrs. Top will be golden and crispy. Potatoes will be soft.

Notes...
* Due to an onion intolerance (and onion haters) I make one with onion and one without.
* If you like a "soupier" dish decrease flour and/or increase milk.
* Use caution or protect the bottom of your oven as this dish can boil over if the pan is too full.

Menu... October 19 - 25

So after the major shakeup last week I did fine. Of course it helps that I didn't have set plans for Saturday. lol What we ended up doing was munching all day. I made a huge bowl of egg salad for lunch with plenty of leftovers. Then it was CORN (clean out refrigerator night).

New week, new menu although this week I'm a bit fuzzy on how things will go. I do have the next few days planned out so that should be easy enough...

Sunday... Pizza...cheese and bacon
Monday... Scalloped Potatoes
Tuesday... Pasty or chicken pot pie
Wednesday... Venison chili, cornbread
Thursday... Spanish Rice
Friday... Beans & rice burritos, CORN (clean out refrigerator night)
Saturday... Venison Stew, biscuits

Noelle, the scalloped potatoes recipe is coming up soon. It's one of those just throw in recipes, so hard to write out.

Shopping trip to Walmart

I haven't done a shopping trip account in a while. With the increased prices and having little food allowance, I thought it would be good to keep closer track of how much I'm spending. So I guess I'll be doing shopping posts again.


6.08 - 5qt vanilla ice cream
1.44 - 2 2lts Sam's Club Root beer (and bottle deposit)
0.33 - Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (for the ride home)
2.24 - 2 pkgs GV bite size tortilla chips
2.94 - 2 pkgs GV white corn tortilla chips
2.36 - 2 pkgs GV Honey wheat braid pretzels
2.76 - 2 pks Austin individually pkg'ed crackers (cheese, PB)
1.18 - GV mini pretzels
9.56 - 4 gallons skim milk
3.88 - gallon OJ
2.97 - 3 3gal refilled drinking water (culligan machine)
3.78 - GV instant coffee
1.98 - 2 bags baby carrots
0.79 - 1 bell pepper
9.00 - 6 pkgs (20oz ea) Simply Potatoes Hash Brown potatoes
8.00 - 4 pkgs (8oz ea) Kraft shredded mozzarella cheese
4.00 - 2 pkgs (8oz ea) Kraft shredded Italian
4.00 - 2 pkgs (8oz ea) Kraft shredded Monterey Jack & Cheddar
4.00 - 2 pkgs (8oz ea) Kraft shredded Mexican 4 cheese
4.00 - 2 pkgs (8oz ea) Kraft shredded Taco seasoned
3.84 - Great Value Tater tots - 5lbs
2.96 - 2 cans GV chunk light tuna
1.24 - 22oz sandwich bread
2.78 - 2 boxes GV snack crackers
3.27 - 36oz GV Ranch Dressing
2.87 - GV mayo
2.18 - GV spanish olives

Grand total - 94.80 ($94.43 + $.37 tax)

What I'll do with these...

Snacks
Ice Cream and rootbeer - floats
Tortilla chips - with salsa or as nachos with taco cheese
pretzels - (girls take to school)
austin crackers - splurge for school snacks
baby carrots and ranch dressing - snack
snack crackers - snacks

Side Dishes
baby carrots and ranch dressing
Monterey jack - mac and cheese - sm batch
tater tots - side for Fri dinner
snack crackers - side with soup

Lunch
tuna - lunch during the week (when kids are in school)
spanish olives & mayo - egg salad
Tortilla chips and taco cheese - nachos

Meals
bell pepper - spanish rice ingredient
hash browns - scalloped potatoes
mozz & italian cheese - pizza
mexican cheese - burritos

Misc
snack crackers - out of bread backup
loaf of bread - because the kids insist that air bread be used at times

Not sure what I left to buy to get through the next week/payday yet. Funny thing happened while shopping. Michelle and I went after she got out of work. We separated at the door and didn't meet up until the end. We BOTH ended up grabbing the 5lb bag of tater tots! Neither of us had mentioned buying it and it's something we rarely buy. I hadn't even considered them until I walked by them in the freezer. Michelle planned on getting them when she went in. Funny when we're on the same wavelength like that. It's happened to us quite a few times lately (I'll bring up a subject Michelle was just thinking of and vice versa)

As I usually do...changing things up...

Ok...so now I know...it's a good idea to take the meat you plan for dinner that night...OUT of the freezer in a timely manner. Not a few hours beforehand. The idea of having a meal plan is so you can be prepared and prevent the last minute thinking. But Noooo! Not me, I have to ignore everything.

The turkey breast was solid as a rock when it should've been thrown into the oven, covered in it's lovely bacon'ness. I grabbed it out of the freezer and threw it into the fridge figuring we'd have it for dinner on Wednesday instead. For good measure I grabbed some hunks of venison out to defrost for Friday's dinner. Yeah me! :o)

So what to have for dinner? I grabbed a gallon baggie of chicken and stock out of the freezer and threw it in a pot. After it thawed out a bit I realized it probably wasn't enough for everyone so grabbed another bag. Pat was here and was excited...it's his favorite. He made sure to walk out the door with a plate of it. Now what to serve it over? Not enough potatoes. Rice? We were suppose to have rice the next day so I didn't really want to go in that direction. Bread...I'd made 4 loaves of bread the day before and overcooked them just a tad. They weren't burnt, just dark. It was perfect for soaking up the delicious gravy. Dinner saved!

I even have enough chicken and gravy to make potpies. This morning the turkey breast still seemed a bit solid so I decided we'd make the potpies instead. I was going to cheat and use the last few boxes of packaged pie crust in the freezer. But again, they were still abit frozen when I wanted to make the pies. I don't really feel like making rice and burritos (no cheese or sour cream....blah!) So back into the freezer I go again...VODKA SAUCE!!! So we had Saturday's dinner on Tuesday, eating Thursday's dinner on Wednesday and having Tuesday's dinner on Thursday.

Yep, it's a good thing I make meal plans or I'd be going crazy at night trying to come up with meals! ROFL!

So let's see what the mix-up did...

Tuesday... Chicken and gravy over bread
Wednesday... Vodka sauce over Penne
Thursday... Bacon wrapped wild turkey breasts
Friday... BBQ Venison Sandwiches
Saturday... Figure it out later, might go grocery shopping

Menu... October 12 - 18

OK...so I did ok until Friday when I didn't come home for dinner. I had a dentist appt that ran close to dinner. So instead of picking up the little ones and running home, we had dinner at my parents house. Those at home had eggs, cereal and/or sandwiches. Saturday I utilized the church grill we run with tasty fare such as...burgers, hot dogs, chili, sausage and peppers, chicken sandwiches and salt potatoes. No cooking for me.

Tom came home from work on Tuesday looking like Santa Claus with a sack over his shoulder. It was 55 gal trash bag with frozen venison and a wild turkey breast...all vacuum packed! I have to admit I haven't really dealt with the deer we processed this spring. So I'll have to incorporate it more. I'd love to hear your favorite recipes for venison.

So now what's for this week? Hmmm...

Sunday... Tom made a huge pot of venison soup. Was yummy
Monday... Shrimp Alfredo with linguini, garlic bread sticks
Tuesday... Bacon wrapped wild turkey breast, sauteed mixed veggies, stuffing?
Wednesday... Rice and bean burritos
Thursday... Spaghetti with vodka sauce (frozen from last time)
Friday... BBQ venison sandwiches
Saturday... Chicken and gravy over rice or biscuits

And just a reminder... Join in with...


(click the graphic above to go to the challenge for October)

Newest LOK Kitchen Challenge is up!

The LOK Cooking Challenge has been revamped to include everything Kitchen...cooking, budgeting and organizing. This month's challenge goes along the lines of Kentucky Fried Chicken's tv ad to make their meal yourself for under $10 (how much it costs to buy it at KFC). You can read about it here... October's kitchen challenge

I love this type of challenge! I'll definitely be joining in and might even do 2 of them...a maximum budget ($15) one and a cheapest day I can.

How about you... are you up to the Challenge!?!

Artichoke Spinach Dip

Makes 8x8" pan

3 8oz pkgs cream cheese, softened
1/2 pt sour cream
2 cans artichokes, chopped
1 can spinach, drained VERY well
1 - 1.5 cups parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp garlic powder

Mix cream cheese and sour cream together
add other ingredients and mix well
spread evenly in 8" square pan
bake in 350° oven for 20mins until warmed through and turning golden around edges
Serve with tortilla chips or wheat crackers

Broccoli Soup

Makes 8qts

water
6lbs frozen broccoli
1/2 lb butter/margarine
12 chicken bouillon cubes
milk
1/2 - 1pt sour cream (optional)

Fill the 8qt pan with 1 - 2 inches of water
add butter, bouillon and broccoli
cook 20 - 30 mins until broccoli is soft
stir and mash occasionally
at end of cooking time mash until desired consistency (smooth or chunky)
add milk to taste (I usually add enough to make the pot full)
add some hot soup to sour cream to thin out,
stir sour cream into soup and heat for another minute or so
serve

Menu... October 5 - 11

Yeah yeah I know...think up a menu for crying out loud! I've got 2 days done....does that count? lol

Sunday we had a late dinner since Pat took all his siblings out apple picking. Tom and I were busy butchering 6 roosters while they were out. So I threw together a pot of Broccoli soup (recipe coming up after I'm done here). It was nice to get something out quickly that everyone was looking forward to eating (it's been a while since I've made it). So now onto the rest of the week....

Sunday... Broccoli Soup, bread
Monday... Roasted rooster, mashed potatoes, sweet peas
Tuesday... Homemade macaroni and cheese, ham
Wednesday... Chicken and gravy, rice, green beans
Thursday... Pork roast, sauteed broccoli normandy,
Friday... Shrimp Alfredo
Saturday... church conference...have to bring lunch and dinner
Lunch... sandwiches, chips, fruit
Dinner... taco salad, tortilla

Now lets see how well I stick with it. :o)

New Group Blog for me

I'm a member of the LOK's Large Family Cooking Blog which started up this month. It's off to a good start and my first post is up...

Get it Done Ahead of Time which talks about my favorite shortcut in the kitchen.

Make sure you check out all the posts so far. And of course feel free to comment, we all love to get comments.

Two new dishes this week

Both didn't go over too well. The first one was on Monday and was my mom's vodka sauce. I tried to double the recipe and added a bit more cooking time on it. I don't think it was quite enough time though because the sauce had chunks of tomatoes in it...my mom's never does. I don't know, maybe it was the brand of crushed tomatoes I used. The taste was ok, just the texture was off. I know the recipe is great, everyone always asks her for it. So it has to be operator error.

The second one was Tuesday and was Michelle's version of Chicken Marsala with penne. She picked an Olive Garden copycat recipe. This time we tripled the recipe. We also substituted deboned chicken thighs for the skinless chicken breasts. I'm not sure if she added too much oil or if it was the fat from the thighs (I tried to remove as much as I could) but it was WAY too greasy. It seemed like the sauce turned into a huge layer of butter/oil. I'm not sure if we'll try this particular recipe again but we'll definitely try making the dish again.

Last night I made tried and true homemade pizza. 2 topped with pepperonis and 2 with bacon. I made quite the mess when I tried to slide the pizzas off the tray and onto the rack for the 2nd half of cooking. They were both a bit too soft to be on the rack yet. The first pepperoni ended up in pieces and with melted cheese all over. The bacon fared a lot better. The last 2 came out beautiful. :o)

Today is Michelle's birthday!!! (she's 21 now) She's been wishy washy about what she wants for her dinner. I bought her a carrot cake from BJ's and we'll have vanilla ice cream and/or root beer floats. (I bought Michelle birthday cake ice cream too, not sure if we'll have it for the party though). She's finally settled on breakfast for dinner! So I guess we're having pancakes, sausage, bacon, and fruit parfaits. Can you tell it's been a while since I made pancakes around here? LOL

No set plans for tomorrow but I think I'm heading toward broccoli soup with garlic rolls. Michelle is having friends over on Saturday night. The kids are set to be gone so it'll be just Tom and I with the 2 littlest kids. I'm thinking of doing a snacky party type of meal.

Maybe next week I'll get it together and post a menu BEFORE I'm using it! Oh yeah, and stick to it too.

I almost followed my menu

On Wednesday I realized I made a fatal error in not buying milk Tuesday night. Not having much milk meant that I couldn't make my scalloped potatoes. I'll get a recipe up soon Noelle, it's fairly easy. This time I bought a boneless ham that comes in a loaf. It's not chopped ham quality but not top grade either....works well for dishes and for under $1.60/lb you can't beat it. Instead I browned up a 6+ lb package of ground beef I bought at Wegmans, put half away for a meal (probably chili) and made stroganoff with the other half.

Friday is when I failed. I had spaghetti planned. It's an EASY dish! I can just boil up spaghetti and throw on canned sauce. Or I can make it a bit harder and brown italian sausage in. I could've even made meat sauce with the burger I'd cooked on Wednesday. UB (Uncle Billy) let us know he'd bought steaks that needed to be cooked so that was going to be dinner. Then it was discovered that the charcoal was wet and time was dwindling (kids needed to be out the door). So they had sandwiches and/or cereal to tide them over until they got home. I'd broil the steaks after 9. Yeah right. I was dragging from my new cold and didn't see me making anything (I just wanted to go to bed even though I couldn't). Instead I texted Michelle and asked her if she'd ask her dad if he wanted to pick up $.99 Arby Q's for dinner. He agreed. Give me an F-!

Today instead of BBQ sandwiches (which we had last night) I was going to attempt to get scalloped potatoes in the oven. I just realized though that it's suppose to be warm and muggy today...not oven running weather. Besides I also forgot that UB has steaks that need to be cooked. So guess scalloped potatoes will be in the menu NEXT week. One of these days I'll hold to my written menu.

LOK September Challenge is up!!

LOK September Cooking Challenge

The challenge... create a dish incorporating cereal. Since we are trying to use up the cereal, you should incorporate at least a one cup of cereal.

No limit on which brand or type of cereal you can use. The recipe should be original, or a fair alteration on an existing recipe. Creativity will factor heavily into this challenge, so keep that in mind. (in other words, no rice crispie treats)

This month is going to take a bit of brain work. Cooking with cereal? I can't say that I make anyone besides cookies or marshmallow treats with it. Ok...MAYBE I use it for a coating in fried foods or a filler in meatloaf. I don't think that really counts though. Gotta find and think of something new!

I'm looking forward to seeing what people come up with. How about you? Care to join in?