Family Foodies

Who doesn’t enjoy coming home on a cold winter evening to a warm bowl of homemade soup, stew or chili? Served with fresh biscuits, rolls or cornbread, this is a very practical (and delicious) way to stretch your grocery dollars! I hope today’s show encourages you to dig out your soup pot and get a cozy dinner cooking today!

When $$ is tight, and you can’t do much grocery shopping, you CAN still feed your family some healthy meals this week! Take a look through your ‘frige and pantry like I did, and see what you’ve got!

Some of the recipes I mentioned (plus many more) you can find in my new e-book: Freezing It and Loving It; some are below so you can print them out.

Happy creating!  ~Sandra

Spinach Quiche

Put 10 oz thawed spinach into sprayed 10” pie dish.
Sprinkle 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese on top.

In a separate bowl mix together
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 ½ C milk
¾ C biscuit/baking mix
1 small diced onion
S&P to taste

Pour over spinach and cheese mixture.
Bake @ 400 F for 35-40 min.

Oven Baked Omelet

4 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
3 slices of American cheese
¾ C milk
Dash pepper

Arrange cheese slices to cover bottom of sprayed, 8” pie dish.
Beat together eggs, milk, pepper with fork; add bacon.
Pour over cheese.
Bake for 30 min @ 350 F. Let stand few minutes before serving

Ham and Cheese Croissants

(Great for breakfast, lunch or snacks. Can be assembled night prior for breakfast.)

Lay 2 slices ham and 1 slice cheese on each sliced croissant.
Wrap in tin foil. Heat in oven.

This is the second half of the chat that Sandra Jensen and Sue Davidson had about creating mouth watering holiday munchies perfect for entertaining or taking a dish to an event.

If you missed part one, you can catch it here!

It’s the Holiday Season! Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year celebrations present many opportunities for family gatherings and parties. From the neighborhood to church, school, and the work place, hor’deuvors are never more appropriate (and fun!) than this time of year! Unfortunately, the thought of preparing platters of scrumptious finger food intimidates many people, but it really doesn’t need to!

Sue and I discussed only the “tip of the iceberg” but the possibilities for these little delectables are endless! On the printable page below you’ll find a sampling of the recipes we talked about – from meatballs to fondues. And as I’ve said all along on Family Foodies, I personally like the end result without all the fuss, so my contributions are usually quite simple!

As mentioned on the show, many great web sites can also help your holiday appetizer planning, such as:

• Pillsbury.com
• NabiscoCrackers.com
• KraftFoods.com.

Grab the free printable Holiday Entertaining Recipe Sheet with all of the recipes mentioned on our show.

I hope this show inspires you to get creative in your gift giving this Christmas! My good friend Sue Davidson and I chatted about foodie (and other) gifts you can mix up in your kitchen to give to teachers, bus drivers, neighbors, etc.

The ideas we shared are simple and inexpensive, and can involve your kids too! Many can be made up in big batches so you have plenty to share (and some to keep at home too!) Homemade gifts are best, as far as we’re concerned, and with a little creativity and presentation you’ll be proud to give.

Homemade Hot Fudge
(Makes 4 Cups)

Melt 12 oz MILK chocolate chips (not semi sweet) with ½ lb butter (not margarine) in microwave or on stove.

Add 14 oz sweetened condensed milk and 14 oz light corn syrup (like Karo). Beat on medium speed with electric mixer 1-2 minutes.

Pour in glass jars. Decorate with pretty lid (cloth, ribbons, etc) and a label, which instructs to keep refrigerated, and to serve: heat in micro.

Hot Cocoa Mix

8 qts powdered milk
2 lbs chocolate drink powder
1 lb powdered sugar
16 oz non-dairy powdered creamer
You might add marshmallows and/or flavored chips (like chocolate, raspberry, cinnamon, mint) too, if desired
Mix all ingredients together, store in airtight container up to 6 months.
To share, pour into container with lid or baggies in mugs.
Label should read: Mix 1/3 C to one cup boiling water.

Friendship Tea
(Makes 5 Cups of powder)

1 jar (21.1 oz) Tang (I’ve used the generic, and it’s fine)
1 C sugar
½ C sweetened lemonade mix
½ C unsweetened instant tea
1 pkg Apricot Jell-O
2-½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
Mix all ingredients together. Store in airtight container.
To share: Label containers to read Mix 4 ½ tsp to one cup boiling water.

Homemade Foot Scrub

(These amounts are approximate)
4 C Epsom salt
2 TBSP chopped cloves (or try different scents)
½ C baby oil (try scented, like lavender)
Mix in big bowl until blended, and the consistency feels right!
Pour into little glass jars; give with rolled up washcloth or scrubby.

Well, today I was joined by my good friend Kelly McCausey. Kelly had a hankerin’ for Shepherd’s Pie, and asked me to teach her how to make one! So I shared the age-old recipe. We had fun chatting over the how-to’s as well as a few variations for this yummy old favorite. I can’t wait to see the picture of Kelly cooking her own, and to hear (from Sean) how it turned out!

Here’s Kelly’s Pic:
Shepherd’s Pie
Serves 8

Cook 10 medium potatoes until soft; mash with 1/2 stick butter and 1 C milk. Meantime,

Brown 2 lbs ground beef with one medium onion; drain. Return to pan. Add one can cream-of-mushroom soup, warm till heated through. (I add pepper and a little garlic salt at this point.)

Spray 9×13 pan with non-stick spray. Pour meat mixture in bottom. Pour 2-3 C frozen vegetables over meat mixture; cover with mashed potatoes; slice another ½ stick butter over potatoes. Broil until top is golden brown. (I prefer to bake @ 350 for 30 min.)

Variations:

• Use leftover mashed potatoes and/or vegetables.
• Vary the amounts of meat and vegetables according to what you have on hand.
• Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over vegetables before covering with potatoes.
• Substitute cream of onion or cream of cheddar for mushroom soup.
• Substitute cooked, cubed chicken or turkey for ground beef, and use cream of chicken or cream of celery soup instead of the mushroom.

The traditional Shepherd’s Pie is quite similar to the TaterTot Casserole, which always goes over big! You use frozen peas, and substitute tater tots for the mashed potatoes.

Italian Shepherd’s Pie
Serves 4-5

Cook in large skillet until brown, drain; return to pan:

1 lb bulk Italian sausage
½ C chopped onion

Add:
3 large eggs, beaten
1 – 14 1/2 oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp dried basil
½ tsp fennel seeds

Spoon into 1 – 9 in unbaked pie shell.
At this point you may wrap well and freeze for later. OR:
Cover edge of pie with foil and bake @ 375 F for 25 min.
Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes or until set.

Variation: Stir ½ C shredded cheddar cheese into mashed potatoes (enough to serve 4) and spoon over meat. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake covered 20 minutes more.

I told Kelly that if she likes this simple casserole, she will probably also enjoy the two “Easy Pie” recipes found on the back of the Bisquick box. One is cheeseburger, one is chicken, and are both simple and delicious!