dawnie2u

I learned how to cook out of neccesity. When my husband started his business, I had $25/week to feed a family of four, one of them being a 15-year old boy. I used Jane Brody's Good Food cookbook a lot. She had a lot of healthy economical recipes in it. I try to grow as much as I possibly can, when I didn't have land, I grew them in pots. I buy protein on sale, and supplement it with lots of legumes and grains. I belong to a buying club, so I am able to get wonderful, mostly organic grains in bulk. When you have very little money coming in, it is best to plan you menu around the sales. I would love to only buy locally and organic, but it isn't always possible when your funds are limited. I love the tip about the green onions, thanks! You can do the same with lemongrass, but I never thought of green onions. No one has said anything about pizza or calzones. Make the dough from scratch and put on it whatever you have in the fridge. You can refrigerate the dough until you are ready to use it. I make bagels from scratch too, easy and in my opinion better than store bought. But I live in St. Joe, MO, so bagels here pretty much suck. I also make chilis using ground turkey and add lentils, barleyand zucchini to stretch it out. It freezes great and is pretty healthy, and it is really good. I bought a pack of chicken breasts bone-in for .79/lb. I have made chicken salad sandwiches, chicken enchiladas and tonight chicken soup and I still have one more chicken breast left. For approx. $3 I have made four meals. It is like others have said, you make protein the compliment of the meal.

I have moved to a small town in NW Missouri from San Diego. I have finally figured out that if I want good Chinese food, I am going to have to make it myself. What I am really craving, is this dish I used to get at a take-out in El Cajon called Kip's Cafe, not exactly foodie heaven, but this chicken, I loved. I have never seen it at any other Chinese restaurant. This is what I think it is. It is like General Tao's Chicken, but without the sauce. It is boneless chunks of chicken thighs, deep-fried, and then (I have only bought it as take out), so imagine a Chinese take-out box, full of fried chicken thigh chunks, covered with a salty mixture of chopped garlic, red chile peppers and green onions, no sauce. I am going to try and make this tonight, but if anyone can help me with this, I would soooo appreciate it. Thanks! Dawn

Tammy, I just read from page 1-7 and I am bleary-eyed to say the least. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these, and I am so glad you have been posting all your meals. I have been cut and pasting them into a folder for future reference. Thanks!

Thanks for your suggestions. What I have discovered is that my SIL hasn't a clue as to what she is doing with her diet. She eats what she wants and then gives herself a shot of insulin. Since she has been here, she has had low blood sugar twice and had to eat something sweet to counteract it. I am cooking low carb with lots of salads and veggies. I am trying to keep it low fat also. Breakfast is the hardest for me because it seems like breakfast food are high in cholesterol and fat. Thanks again. Dawn

my recipe is very simple. 2 or 3 Haas avocados, a couple cloves of garlic, a little bit of your favorite salsa, cilantro, salt and pepper. Lightly mash the avocados, do not make them mushy, add the minced or pressed garlic, the salsa, cilantro, and salt and pepper... think fold when you mix. My stepdaughter made this recipe for me and it my favorite. You want it chunky with avocados.

I have my in-laws visiting for a week, and my SIL is insulin dependant diabetic, and MIL is pre-diabetic, which I don't really understand, aren't we all? Anyway, I am cooking for everyone for the next 6 days. I need recipes and ideas, please. I have spent the last few days cleaning, so now I have no menus. I request low carb and/or low glycemic index recipes. I know this sucks, but when it comes to someone's health, I do try to tread the line. Oh and yes, I am on my second martini. Thanks!

What about some smoky fishy chicken thighs? Brown some skinless chicken thighs in a little bacon fat. Remove chicken to a plate. Into same pan, pour in a tin of anchovies (or less, depending on how much you like them) and a couple cloves of chopped garlic, and mash the anchovies. Cook this for a minute or so. Add some sliced black olive and some sliced green olives, some capers, and a can of diced tomatoes in juice. Bring this to a boil and return thighs to sauce, cover and turn down to a simmer, until thighs are done, about 20 minutes or so. Uncover and add some balsamic vinegar and fresh chopped parsley, and simmer for about 5 more minutes, or until it is a nice thickish consistency. Adjust seasonings. Serve it with steamed rice and more chopped fresh parsley. Really easy and even better the next day. Sometimes I make a large batch of this and freeze it for easy weeknight dinners.

This is also good made with tuna. Jalapeno Chicken Salad 1 cup good quality mayonnaise (Hellman's) 4 cups cooked cut-up chicken breast 1/4 cup celery -- chopped fine 1/4 cup red onion -- chopped finely 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves -- chopped 1/4 cup nacho sliced jalapenos, chopped -- or to taste salt and black pepper -- to taste In a medium mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together except the chicken. Gently fold the chicken into the mayonnaise mixture until well combined. Transfer to your serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, to allow flavors to meld.

I have a sour cherry tree that is brimming with cherries that are almost ripe. I picked a quart today, and will be harvesting more every day. I need some ideas and/or recipes on how to use them. I am planning on making some cherry infused vinegar and cherry infused vodka. Any other ideas? Thanks! Dawn

in case you are interested in ordering them, here is a farm in oregon that sells the plant. http://www.goodwincreekgardens.com/

Actually, it is usually not the mayo that is the problem. Purchased mayo is full of preservatives. It is more likely the other ingredients. Potato salad is especially suspect -- all that sugar and starch in potatos is a breeding ground for all sorts of nasty stuff. ← Commercial mayonnaise such as Hellman's is actually a high acid food. The Health Department doesn't even check the temperature of commercial mayonnaise in supermarket kitchens anymore because it is shelf-stable. You can keep a jar of Hellman's in your cupboard. The quality will degrade more quickly than if you keep it refrigerated. It was the homemade mayo that gave mayonnaise it's bad reputation. It is the low acid foods in mayo-type salads and such that may be a problem if not kept at the correct holding temperature. Here is a link for more info: http://www.dressings-sauces.org/foodsafety_picnic.html

Here is a great potato soup that I adapted from my Mom's Irish potato soup. * Exported from MasterCook * SMOKY POTATO SOUP Recipe By : Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Soups And Stews Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 1/2 pints chicken broth -- preferably home-made 1 large russet potato -- peeled, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes 1 large sweet potato -- peeled, chopped into 1/2-inch cubes 1 medium white onion -- chopped 2 stalks celery -- chopped 3 slices smoked bacon -- coarsely chopped 3 large garlic cloves -- peeled 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary cream -- if necessary to thin soup In a large soup pot, fry bacon over medium heat, until browned. Transfer bacon to a paper towel to drain. Remove all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic for 5 minutes or until limp. Add chicken broth and potatoes to the soup pot. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Transfer half of soup to blender, and puree until smooth. Put pureed soup back in soup pot. Stir in rosemary and bacon. Bring the soup to a simmer. Add a little milk or broth to make soup desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

OOOPS! Sorry, I just re-noticed this thread is "gotten" not given. Note: See previous posts re: Weight Watchers...opted to give all my points to martinis. Hence the given not gotten.

Oh please start a new thread. One year, when we were young and starving, a friend of ours came to visit us. He had gone corporate, and was making so much more money than us. While I was on a trip to Tijuana, waiting to get back into San Diego, I saw this ceramic chimpanze with a Snidley Whiplash mustach on it, being offered from one of the many, trying to sell to the gringos, vendors. I bought it. I didn't know why, I just knew I had to. So, when our friend came to visit us, I sent him home with him his very special gift. I told him over and over again, he had to make sure it wasn't jostled. He carefully carried it home with him, cradling it in his lap ala first class. And that picture alone, gets me throught dark and lonely nights. He arrives home and puts it under their beautiful gigantic, perfectly decorated tree. The next day I get a phone call...lol. Sorry, I hate that acronym, but I cannot help it. I am laughing now. First, I hear a very long string of profanities, and then I hear laughing. Said chimp has now become the envy of all that come to their annual xmas white elephant party. I hear they bribe in order to receive it. You just gotta love the East Coast.

This just happened the other night. I am new to Weight Watchers (and this forum, which just sucks, because I have decided to lose some weight; the cassoulet and duck confit are just killing me), and I wanted to make a tuna/cannellini bean salad. I make a great one that I sell that is draped in good evoo. Since I have to limit my fat use to 2 tsp a day (which is just pure evil), I decided to skip the evoo. I also decided to used canned beans (nevah again!). I usually use tuna in olive oil, but used tuna in water, uggg. Fresh oregano and lemon from my garden/yard, capers, some red onion, minced garlic and fresh parsley. I skipped the dried currants. Sounds great right? Gently tossed it together...uggggggg. The beans were all smooshy and blended with the tuna, and made sort of a tuna-bean emulsion. I didn't like that at all. So I started to think how I can save this. I looked through my newly organized and clean cupboard (we are getting ready to move from San Diego to St. Joseph, MO) and found my recently, rediscovered Tandoori blend). I thought, Mmmmmmmmm, I love Tandoori, and I love tuna/bean salad, why not put them together. It was not good, at all. Our budget being what it is right now, I didn't want to toss it. I thought, maybe if I heated it up and put it into a low-carb tortilla, maybe that might be okay. After all, it is a "core" recipe. It was one of those, run to the garbage and spit it out moments, mentioned above in a post. I fed part of it to my goldie puppy, she even balked, and she is a food vacuum cleaner, then dumped the rest. I will never again, try to make great recipes into diet worthy crap. Ever! A side note...guess where all my points went today? Cheers!

Good: The smell left of your hands after you peel any citrus fruit, but especially tangerines or oranges. The smell of pears still on the branch at a Farmer's Market when place in a bag. I have to keep sticking my head in the bag and breathing it in. Any fresh herb. Freshly brewed coffee. Strawberry jam simmering in my jelly pot. Bad: Fried hamburgers in the house. It stays around for days. On the grill is great, but in the house, nope. Evil: Bananas

This is a great soup. I have made this using pumpkin too. I added a can of coconut milk to it and garnished it with fresh cilantro, no sour cream. I think I might have added a little curry powder also.

I absolutely love soup and make it several times a week. Last night I made Caldo Tlapeno, which is a chicken soup with garbanzo beans and rice. Tonight I am going to make a potato soup. I start by browning a few slices of bacon, which I set aside and crumble. Then saute some onions and celery in the bacon fat. I add a couple large potatoes and a sweet potato that have been chunked, sprinkle in some fresh rosemary and black pepper. Cover with water or chicken broth and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Then I add either half and half or cream. Using my stick blender, I puree the soup until smooth. Taste it and check for seasoning, adding salt, pepper and/or more rosemary, as desired. From this base soup, I can go a few ways with it. I have added jalapenos to spice it up a bit, recently I added some gorgonzola to it, and loved it that way. It is great just as is. I garnish it with the crisped bacon bits. I adapted this recipe from my Mom's basic Irish potato soup.