Hump Day - What's for Dinner?

Hey Ya'll,
I’m back, with apologies - life is hectic around here, and hot as Hades in Stockton as of late so I haven't been plugged in so to speak. This week I am offering shopping tips, a too damned hot to cook tip, a quick fix meal and sweet shot at the end. I have to say sorry up front as I don't have a plate shot of the quick dish. It was that good we ate it all and then I remembered I forgot the last picture..lol

To Market To Market.....

At the 99 Cents Store this week I found the following and recommend you checking it out.. Fresh Tomato's, Sweet Peppers and Fish - each a perfect portion, Black Beans and Pasta Sauce - the possibilities are endless..
Try some toms and sweet peppers over a baked Mahi Mahi filet...
Black Beans and Rice and a pan fried Tilapia filet...
Pasta sauce over mashed potatoes or of course pasta with chunks of Rockfish or Pollock..
And a family fav, sliced toms, with Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper and a poached Salmon filet...Dang I am hungry now....
Each of my finds were only $.99 cent EACH!! The fish is the same brand I paid $1.50 per package at Safeway, on sale mind you. Makes you wonder.....

Too Hot To Cook?
Chicken Salad, not the last one I made, although that is a good darn idea. I’m talking a leafy, crunchy hearty dinner salad – McDonalds is our go to place for this one. You will need a 20 piece Chicken McNuggets – cut into quarters it will yield 80 bites of chicken.
Toss into any bag lettuce product - add chopped tomato, ranch dressing and a side of toasted bread and you have a filling instant meal and you can easily feed 6-8 people.

Quick Fix Meal - Beef and Baby Bock Choy

Baby Bok Choy - I use the small ones as they are tender and flavorful, cut the ends off and soak them - they need to soak for at least an hour, swishing them every 15 mins - they are sandy and dirty and sometimes have critters - so clean them WELL!

Stewing Meat - its already in chunks all you have to do is chop them in thirds if they are really large, you want bite sized pieces.

Seasonings - In this case I use Ground Ginger, Pepper, Garlic, Onion and Seasoned Meat Tenderizer - you need this to make your beef tender, keeping in mind Stew Meat is usually broken down in a gravy - we are quickly searing the meat in oil - and finally Oyster Sauce - you can find this in any stores Asian aisle, I use this as a finishing touch so no more than 1/4 Cup is needed.

To prepare the dish you will need a large non stick skillet with a lid and a bowl for reserving the cooked Choy - add 2 TBS of oil to your pan, you are going to be cooking the vegis in batches - once the oil is hot - place a few handfuls of the Choy in the pan and toss it till it is covered in the oil, put the top on for approx 1 min remove and repeat until all of the Choy is cooked -->


Before searing the meat in oil, add a few sprinkles of flour or corn starch to lightly coat the meat and toss in the pan of about 4 TBS of oil making sure to do so in small batches like the Choy. I prefer med/rare you may cook it to a doneness of your choosing -->
Add approximately 1/4 cup of Oyster Sauce and toss Choy and Beef together - Serve over steamed White Rice. As mentioned before it was so tasty I forgot to take the final pic....:-)

A Sweet Finish....

It's been so hot outside and I could use a cooler or better yet a smoothie - I prefer Peach, but Strawberries were in abundance at the 99 Cents store and I couldn't resist.. I chose yogurt, frozen berries and fresh.

In your blender add the entire bag of frozen berries to the container of yogurt and blend - the frozen berries act as the ice cubes and prevent that watered out taste as it begins to melt, once blended add the fresh berries, stems removed of course and pulse the blender this will break up the berries but still give you a slight chunk your mixture will be very thick, you can add a dash of OJ or Milk - I prefer mine as is. Grab a spoon and enjoy!

Well I tried to make up for being absent, hope you enjoy trying out the tips and stay cool wherever you are.

I hope you will subscribe or at least check back weekly for a new recipe at Dollar Store Dining!

Sonia

Changing Posting Day - Please Read

Hey Ya'll,

I haven't forgotten to post this week, I am however finding Sunday may be a better day to do so - This week the Wednesday blog will be moved to Sunday April 12th.

To amuse yourself and to keep true to the spirit of sharing please visit this amazing site called FreeRice , it is full of word quizzes in English as well as Spanish, French and others, they even have a Math and Science section.

For every answer you give correctly they will donate 10 grains of rice, get 5 right, it's 50 grains.. Basically you play and feed hungry people, you get to pay if forward and help the less fortunate by doing something fun and without spending anything but your time!

www.FreeRice.com

Thanks and see ya Sunday!

Sonia

I’m Not Joking!

No Post TODAY!!!

April Fools!

Mmmmn Chicken Wow-Wow!

My word for today Repourpose - I like to reuse things whenever possible, for example I use empty paper towel rolls to house my cooking tongs, Sushi mat and yet another to keep my wooden skewers safe.

I should apologize, hope I didn’t conjure up visions of re-used restaurant bread with that last statement..lol

Moving on to more palatable offerings….

After tooling around Costco for 2 hours on Sunday night, I was way too tired to prepare the sides to go with the savory smelling, juicy roasted chicken that had been riding in my basket, so (I ate a Hot Dog @ Costco’s food court, very affordable at $1.50 and it comes with a drink) when I got home I made my mom a chicken breast sandwich and I shoved Mr. Chicken in the fridge......and forgot about it, until after I had already prepared dinner on Tuesday evening!

So now I have a nearly whole roasted bird, I don’t want to freeze it and I know I am not about to throw it out, then Eureka it occurs to me - With 5 people in the house there is always someone hungry when no one else is. So I decided to whip up some chicken salad and I used some ingredients I scored at the Dollar Store so here you go!

By the way you don’t need an entire chicken this recipe can be easily prepared using whatever pieces of chicken you have my only requirement please remove the skin especially if your chicken is fried and not baked, grilled or broiled.

I call it The Manor’s Chicken Salad – Threadgill Manor that is!

Almost whole Chicken or parts, skin removed and once meat is removed from bones chopped into large chunks.

3 Baby Dill Pickles - chopped in small chunks.

½ small Onion finely chopped

½ Cup Mayo - I prefer best foods - Miracle Whip is wayyyyy tooo sweeet!

½ teaspoon Celery Salt.

McCormick Smokehouse flavored Pepper to taste I used about ¼ teaspoon.

½ Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning.

To assemble the salad you will need a large bowl, add the chicken, pickles, onion, mayo, celery salt and poultry seasoning. With a large spoon GENTLY stir or in cooking terms FOLD the ingredients together I say gently so you don’t break up the chucks of chicken.

Taste and add more pepper if you desire.

Spoon onto toasted bread or serve on crackers, if you want to really be a Rockstar use your ice crème scoop and add a mound to some leafy salad greens!

Let’s see the cost breakdown:

Chicken - $4.99
Dills - $1.00
Celery Salt $1.00
Smokehouse Pepper $1.89
Poultry Seasoning - $1.00
Yellow Onion - $.25

Total – $10.13

Provided you already have bread and Mayonnaise you are only spending $1.01 per serving or less if you are truly using chicken left over from another meal!

I hope you will subscribe or at least check back weekly for a new recipe at Dollar Store Dining!

Sonia

I'm keepin' it short and sweet!

I must confess I have a little secret….



When I am stressed I bake and when really in the mood for something sweet I choose Cherry Pie! It’s quick and easy and I can have it hot out of the oven in about 20 mins. Not to mention this ones a cheapie!




Cost: Pie Crust - $2.00
Cherry Filling - $3.00

Total Cost - $5.00, you get about 6 decent sized servings so that’s only $.83 cents per serving!



Currently at the Dollar Tree Store they have a wonderful Cherry Pie Filling, its heavy on the gel base and low on the cherries so to make an average sized pie you will need at least 3 boxes. The box covers vary so sorry no picture. It requires no additional sugar so all you need is a crust and presto chango you have pie.



Ingredients: 3 Boxes of Cherry Pie Filling - Drained, sauce reserved



1 packaged of prepared pie shells or a roll out crust product - I prefer Pillsbury Roll Out $2.00 most places or you can make your own….I make a flaky crust but it’s an acquired skill so I won’t even lie to you it’s easier to buy the ready made stuff.



8 x 8 square glass baking dish - buttered slightly



2 teaspoons Sugar



To begin either unwrap or unroll your room temperature crust and place it in the bottom of the buttered dish.



Spoon the drained cherries into the uncooked shell and fill the shell with the desired amount of gel - me I like my pie a bit drier so I only use 1 cup.



Place the second crust on top, press the crust down over the mixture and fold the sides down making a slightly raised border for your dish, prick your crust with a sharp knife in whatever pattern you like, I chose a simple star for mine. Sprinkle the sugar on top to for a sweet sparkly treat.


Your pie should look like a crusted envelope. Place in a cold oven - This is very very important if you preheat the oven your dish will break - cold in to hot is never a good thing. Place pie in oven at 350’ bake for 20 mins or until crust is nice and brown - timing really does depend on your oven.



This is also a winner for a quick fix desert when company drifts by your palace. Simply add some good French Vanilla Ice Crème and Viola!





I hope you will subscribe or at least check back weekly for a new recipe at Dollar Store Dining!

Are You Kidding?

I have heard those three words more often than I could care to admit, but it's true you can dine on a dollar or at least a few of them.



I am a foodie, I love to eat, prepare and share. I am also a miser, cheap, thrifty, whatever..I have the ability to pinch a penny until it bleeds copper which ain't easy considering they aren't really made of copper anymore.



Saving cash while preparing good food is a talent I have acquired in the last year or so it came naturally after purchasing a new home in a new city and seven days later loosing my job.



I discovered very quickly that I had no disposable cash, so therefore I had to reinvent the way I spent what I had. With a new place also came visitors and everyone was hungry, thirsty or both.



The first things that go in a budget are entertainment and clothing...the last is food and frankly folks we are in trouble and food budgets have shrunk and it seems will be suffering for a while....Food may be the first to go for some..



So I have decided to create this blog out of a love for food and a dang good bargain. I plan to feature recipes and buying tips using items purchased at my favorite El-Cheapo hangouts the almighty Dollar Stores!



I am fortunate that here in Stockton, Ca I have two Dollar Tree Stores as well as a 99 Cents Store, two of which offer frozen foods and one offers fresh Fruits and Vegis not to mention Dairy.



I am also fortunate to have a Super Walmart and a Winco...For me Grocery Shopping is an art and a day long excursion.



I make it a habit to purchase eggs, cheese and milk from Walmart - its the cheapest.

Beef, Pork and Chicken I grab from Winco if not the SF Supermarket - it's my local Asian Superstore - you know its fresh! I can often buy Shrimp there heads on for under $3.00 per pound mighty helpful when making Pasta for a crowd, it has a wow factor as it is an expensive ingredient. You however can't be squeamish about cutting or pulling off the heads....lol

My canned goods, well I don't use too many of them so most can be found at any dollar store.

If I am unable to get fresh vegi's my Dollar Tree has frozen ones!

My Soda and Juices I get at Dollar Tree, a 3 litre is only a buck plus CRV and they also have Cranberry, Grape, Grapefruit and Orange Juice - we like the Early Times Breakfast Drink and Sunny D as well and they carry both brands - They also offer a good selection of the lil go packs you add to a 20 oz bottle of water in a various sugar free flavours one pack of ten costs.. oh wait.. A Dollar!



I purchase most of my fresh Vegis from the 99 Cents Store - We eat a crap load of Tomatoes - we love them sliced with Kosher Salt and Fresh Cracked Pepper, and I have taken to Hearts of Romaine - Costco if you have a membership has the best price of $2.99 for 6 heads can't be beat, if you don't have a Costco card ask a friend to let you tag along - you would want to pick up these essential things if you get in:

1. Cooking Oil - Vegetable for under $7.00, for a Gallon.

2. Hearts of Romaine - Mentioned before.....

3. Mushrooms - Huge white capped good for stuffing, salads etc.

4. Seasonings - big containers under $4.00



So... If you are looking for a great cheap and filling dinner tonight head to the nearest dollar store and look for the following ingredients for Enchilada Pie:



You will need one package of 12 or so Corn Tortillas

1 Can of Enchilada Sauce

1 Can Black Olives - you can slice em' up yourself.



You will also need one pound Cheddar cheese - buy the brick it's cheaper and grate it yourself it builds muscle. And of course SOUR CREME - buy the smallest cup its yogurt size and under $1.50 and you won't have any waste.



For the meat - you have choices... a chub of cheap ground beef at Walmart ranges from $1.83 to $3.25 depending on the fat ratio - you can always use Turkey meat you can get that for .99 cents a chub on sale most places!



We use Turkey - So I spend on average for this meal:

Turkey - $.99

Sauce - $.99

Tortillas - $.99

Sour Creme - $1.30

Olives - $.99

Cheese - $2.00

Total - $7.26 and it feeds 8 hungry folks! That's only $.91 cents per serving!



Directions to put it all together are as follows:



Get a large pan, the kind you make a Lasagna in.



You are going to create a layered dish similarly constructed like Lasagna... hmmn hungry



Place a small amount about a tablespoon of oil or shortening on the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking - wipe up excess with a clean paper towel, make sure you get the sides, cheese likes to stick there as well.



Open the can of Sauce - split it in half, place one half of the sauce in a shallow dish because your going to need to dunk or dredge the tortilla shells thru it to wet them with the sauce.



The other half of the sauce will be reserved to add on the layers.



If you had to buy whole olives, you should take the time to slice or rough chop them up - watch your fingers please. Your meat choice should also be browned and your cheese should be ready, quit looking around and get to grating, browning or whatever.... we'll wait.............



Now that your prep is ready let's do this..



Place a few tablespoons on the bottom of the pan and spread it around.



Dredge enough tortillas thru the sauce to cover the bottom of the pan probably around 5 they can overlap and you can cut one in half to fit the empty space like this O O ) quit laughing it was the best I could do!



Add a layer of meat, a layer of olives and a layer of cheese, add 1/3 of the reserved sauce.



Repeat the steps until all of the tortillas are gone and you end with a layer of cheese.



You should end up with two or three layers depending on your pan, you may want to purchase more shells or sauce depending on the size of your pan.



Place a piece of foil paper on top to create an airtight seal and place in a 350' preheated oven and bake for 30-35 mins depending on your oven.



Remove from oven and let rest for 5 mins be careful it will be hot and nothing burns worse than melted lava like Cheddar cheese!



Cut slices and top with Sour Creme and enjoy - we serve ours with a little shredded lettuce and of course a chopped tomato but that's optional - We how ever have to have sauce on top -



Here is my O'SoGhetto recipe for Taco Sauce - 2 Parts Hot Sauce, 1 Part Katsup... Told you it was ghetto..lol



I hope you will subscribe or at least check back weekly for a new recipe at Dollar Store Dining!



Sonia