Budget Menu Chef's Salad

This salad revolves around using ingredients from the Week 1 grocery list. This Salad consists of Lettuce, Ham, Chicken, Grated Carrot, Tomato Wedges, Diced Hard Cooked Eggs and Grated Cheese.
Place eggs in sauce pan and cover by 1/2" with cold water. Place on stove, uncovered, over medium high heat. Once they simmer, cook for 15 minutes. Using cold water, cool eggs down until they can be handled. Peal and slice or chopped for salad.
In the meantime, slice Ham and cut into strips. Remove chicken from bone and cut up. On the night you cook the carrots, save one for this salad. Peel and grate the carrot. Cut Romas into 8ths resulting in little wedges.
Rinse, spin dry and tear lettuce leaves apart. Place on in a bowl. Add a few Tbl Ranch Dressing and toss to coat. Divide onto plates. Top with all ingredients keeping them separate from eachother so they can be indentified. Add 4-Cheese Mexican Cheese as well. Serve with bread and additional Ranch on the side.

Simple Marinara Sauce

In the time it takes to boil water and cook the pasta, this sauce should be done! For the purpose of the budget menus I suggest using a preseasoned sauce that you amend so you don't have to buy all of the herbs. Dice 1 Small Onion. Preheat sauce pan over medium heat. Add 1 TBL Olive Oil (or Canola if you don't have it). Saute onion quickly while stirring for about 2 minutes. Add 2 Cans Hunts Pasta Sauce. When buying these, pick whatever flavors you like, they can be but don't have to be alike. Stir until combined. Let sauce increase in heat until you get a slight bubble. Turn heat to low and let cook another 15 minutes. Add S&P and italian seasonings if you have them, using basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and parsly. Serve over hot pasta!
For a variaiton, roast vegetables in the oven. Toss peeled and cubed Eggplant, 1/2 " Sliced Zucinni and quartered Roma Tomatoes lightly in olive oil and S&P to taste. Preheat oven to 375 and roast for 50-60 miunutes. Immediately put vegetables in the sauce. Serve over pasta.

Peanut Butter Cookies

I have made this simple peanut butter cookie recipe before but this time my almost 8 year old just about made them by himself. I supervised the measuring and mixing speeds. I also scooped the dough for him and he rolled them and learned to scored them.

Sift together on waxed paper, 1 Cup flour, 1/2 tsp Baking Soda and 1/2 tsp Salt. Set aside. Cream 1 Stick UnSalted Butter and 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. On low speed, add 1 Egg and 1 tsp Vanilla. Mix for 1 minute. On low speed, add 1 Cup Crunchy Peanut Butter. Continue on low speed, add flour mixture and mix until combined. Refrigerate the dough in the bowl for 1 hour or it will melt in your hands as you handle it.

Preheat oven to 350. Measure out a consistant size dough portion and roll into a ball. (I used my smalled scoop.) Leave 2" between cookies for they will expand. Place on ungreased sheet pan. Flatten while scoring with the tines of a floured fork. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until fragrant. Let cool before removing from sheet pan. Good lunch box dessert!

Landriau Baked Chicken

This recipe goes back to as far as I remember. It's simple and your teen can help with dinner, but they must be mindful of cleaning the sink of raw chicken juice. I am fortunate enough to have 2 sinks. One is strictly used for vegetable prep and the other for meat and for clean up. Neither the twain shall meet. If you are using 1 sink, the sink must be throughly cleaned with hot water and soap of raw chicken juice.
For a real budget buster, cut up your own chicken. This works particularly well when fryers are on sale. Buy 3-4 Lb Fryers. Using a sharp boning knife, cut off legs and wings at the joint. Flip bird over and remove the back bone. Cut thighs away from the breast. If the breasts are large or you want 10 pieces, cut them in half.
Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed sheet pan with foil. Melt 3-4 Tbl Butter over very low heat. Place 1 Cup Seasoned Progresso Bread Crumbs in a flat rimmed dish (a pasta plate) or a dinner plate. While holding chicken, rinse under running cool water. Dredge skin side in bread crumbs and place in pan skin side up. When all chicken is in, brush lightly with melted butter. S&P to taste and place in oven for 1 hour. Half way through cooking you can rotate the sheet pan. Let rest for 5-8 minutes before serving. For a variation and more flavor, you can add 1 clove of pressed garlic to the butter before brushing onto the chicken. Great with any starch and vegetable. For a picnic or tailgate, wrap gently in clean foil without sealing all the way and place in a basket. Always moist!

Clove Infused Brown Sugar Baked Ham Recipe

Here is my own Clove Infused Brown Sugar Baked Ham recipe. I used a 5+ Pound Smithfield Virginia Smoked Picnic which cost under $8.50. We got several meals from it and had enough to make sandwiches and scrambled eggs with ham.
Preheat oven to 350. Place Ham, but not the juices in a roasting pan, fat side up. Using a very sharp knife, score the Ham in 2 directions. The first set of lines should be diagonal in 1 direction and the second set following the opposite diagonal line. You should wind up with a harlequin pattern. If you have 12-18 Cloves, which I like to use, add them now. On a budget though it is not necessary. Using a toothpick, make holes in the center of each diamond. Add a clove to each hole allowing the bulb end of the clove to be visable. Bake in the center of the oven for about an hour. Remove ham from oven and increase oven to 425. Carefully top the hot ham with 1/4 - 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar. It will only burn if it hits the pan, so try to get it between all of the cuts and it will melt in place. Return to oven for 8-10 minutes. Let rest for about 10 minutes before slicing thinly. Serve with Fresh Pineapple for a tasty compliment. Enjoy!

How to Feed a Family of 4 For Around $100 a Week (The Grocery List PART 1)

You will notice right off the bat you aren't buying soda, cookies and snacks. As the pantry builds you will have be more flexibility with your budget but I am assuming it's bare. If you have some items in your pantry already, then your budget will have money for these things you deem necessary.

I have not used store brands but rather name brands in my planning and I priced items based on our local Walmart Store. I have additionally not filled your stomach with things like rice, grits, oatmeal, dried beans, store bought Mac and Cheese or processed food. So in order to hone in on your specific budget you certainly have flexibility. It may be useful to get the Sunday paper each week and to clip the coupons for those items you use regularly or go online and get them there. 

Smoked 1/2 Picnic Ham $8.50
2 Fryer Chickens or Cut Up Chicken $9
3 Gallons Milk $10.50
1 Lb Butter $3.50
2 Dozen Eggs $3.75
8 Cups 4 Cheese Mexican Cheese $8.75
1 Quart Buttermilk $1.75
1 Lb Penne Pasta $1.25
2 Lbs Angel Hair Pasta $2.50
2 Cans Hunts Pasta Sauce $2.25
1 Canola Oil $3.25
5 Lbs All Purpose Flour $2.50
1 Box Light Brown Sugar $1.00
5 Lbs Sugar $3.50
Baking Powder $1.25
Baking Soda $.75
Salt $.55
Progresso Seasoned Bread Crumbs $2.00
3 Boxes Cereal $7.50
1 Peanut Butter $2.00
1 Grape Jelly $3.00
1 Small Ranch Dressing $2.00
3 Loaves Natures Own or Similar Bread $7.50
20 Flour Tortillas $2.00
1 Real Orange Juice (Calcium Enriched) $3.00
1 Apple Juice $3.00
1 5 Lb Bag Russet Potatoes $3.00
1 Lb Bag Carrots $.75
Fresh Broccoli Crowns $1.50
1 Yellow Onion $.50
Fresh Green Beans $2.50
2 Roma Tomatoes $.75
1 Ice Berg Lettuce $1.35
8 Bananas $1.50
2 Golden Delicious Apples $1.00

This first week totals $109.40 and it assumes nothing is on sale. (For example, I paid $.99 for the Potatoes, not the $3.00 listed) I also rounded up prices for the produce. When shopping at Walmart, if you bring the circular for another store with you, they will honor their price. You may also want to purchase the item at the other store if the location is convenient to you.
Pancakes and Buttermilk Biscuit recipes are on this site already. All others made from scratch will follow soon, then we'll move to week 2.

How to Feed a Family of 4 For Around $100 a Week (The Menu PART 1)

You will see that I have alternated the menus to keep from eating the same thing 2 days in a row. The order in which you cook these meals has been carefully thought out. You have some flexibility but if you begin to make changes, rearrange the entire week to make sure your changes don't effect other days. Lastly, if you are a user of paper napkins, find 8 or 12 cloth napkins on sale and wash them regularly. Same goes for plastic wrap, store food in reusable containers.

Monday
B- Cereal with Sliced 1/2 Banana / Juice & Milk
D-Baked Ham /Macaroni and Cheese /Broccoli /Milk
Tuesday
B-French Toast with Jelly & Banana / Juice & Milk
D- Spaghetti with Marinara / Bread and Butter / Milk
Wednesday
B- Fried Eggs / Toast with Jelly / Juice & Milk
D- Baked Chicken / Fresh Carrots / Mashed Potatoes / Milk
Thursday
B- Cereal with Sliced 1/2 Banana / Juice & Milk
D- Leftover Ham / Fresh Green Beans / Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
Friday
B- Homemade Apple Buttermilk Pancakes / Juice & Milk
D- Chef's Salad / Bread / Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies
Saturday
B- Scrambled Eggs with Ham / Toast with Jelly / Juice & Milk
D- Ham and Cheese Quesadillas
Sunday
B- Cereal with 1/2 Banana / Juice & Milk
D- Buffet Dinner using all leftovers

Budget Conscious Families

I am going to do a multi-part menu planning and grocery list series of posts. The topic will be How to Feed a Family of 4 (breakfast and dinner) For Around $100 a Week. One thing I notice is that when things get tight people tend to lean on canned goods, convenience foods, and soda. Not only are these the least healthy but they are also more expensive than meals cooked from scratch.
A perfect example is Bisquick. I have never been a fan of Bisquick (sorry Bisquick) and the reason is because you can make a few things with it. In my case very few, biscuits and pancakes, and neither tastes good to me. I can buy flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and sugar for around the same price and my options become endless.
Here is the perfect chance to revamp the way your kitchen works. Embrace it. When things turn around for you it'll be all the more sweeter and many habits will stick. During this time, hopefully you will add some new favorites to your go-to recipes your family loves.
I am not in a position to worry about all of this but I worry about it anyway and the reason is, it was the way I was raised. I have never been afraid of being broke and I have been broke many times in my life. The fact is, it's good for the soul. With some creativity, you can make you family really happy and your children will never know the pain. Your example will help them when they get older for they will follow in your footsteps.

It's high time I get these recipes in!

I am behind updating and will have a chance this weekend. Here in SE LA we aren't used to football season extending beyond the playoffs (at best) so I have fallen behind. We are all abuzz with the thrill of it all. Would love to don our Saints shirts go to the French Quarter with my husband and son and take in the sights, music and food! May do that tomorrow!

White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Wow, was this good! I took a recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook and made alterations to it. The one thing I kept the same though was the butter. I had better get this in, this is a good dessert for a Super Bowl party or a tail gate at a Mardi Gras parade.
I went hunting for a Brioche or Challah Bread cause I think they make the best bread pudding. If you can't find either, look for a bread that has been made with egg. In you want a traditional New Orleans Bread Pudding, use day old Italian Bread. Please note that this recipe uses (3) 4oz White Chocolate Bars. I like to use Ghirardelli
Pictured is a 9" x 13" Lasagne dish. I like it cause it's deep and has straight sides. Butter it well. Melt 6 TBL UnSalted Butter. Cube 6 Cups Bread to 3/4" cubes. Place in bowl, pour melted butter over top and stir to coat bread. Set aside. Break (2) 4 oz White Chocolate into small pieces and place in a separate bowl. In a heavy sauce pan, bring 3 Cups Whole Milk and 1 1/2 Cups Heavy Cream to a SIMMER. Do not boil. Pour over White Chocolate and let stand for 2 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Add 3 Large Eggs, 1 1/2 Cups Sugar, 2 tsp Vanilla, and 1/4 tsp Salt. Whisk until combined. Pour custard over bread. Once this mixture has cooled slightly, add the last White Chocolate Bar broken up into small pieces. Cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place a plate on the wrap to keeping the bread in the custard. If needed, add a can to weight down plate. Let this stand for an hour. Give a stir and place in caserole dish. Dust generously with Sanding Sugar. Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 40-50 minutes on the center rack, rotating half way through the baking process. The center should still tremble slightly when dish is moved as it will continue to bake once it is removed from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with whipped cream and Chocolate Curls.
Please note, I used a water bath for baking cause my dish is deeper than the original recipe and I didn't want it to burn before it was done in the middle. For serving, I warmed it in the oven set at 350 without the bath for 15 minutes.