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

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!