March 12 2020

Bacon Pie Recipe

Earlier this week, I tried something kind of new for dinner. It was partly to save money, partly to save calories, and partly just to try to simplify a recipe I remember making years ago that I knew my Hubby really enjoyed. So, I googled recipes for crust-less quiche so I could figure out how long and at what temperature I would need to cook this concoction.

In case you are wondering, this is the pie plate I baked mine in. It is about 11 inches wide and 1 7/8 inches deep. Now I probably could have almost doubled the recipe in this pie plate, but knowing me, I would have spilled some of it before I got it settled in the oven.

I used a 4 cup glass pyrex measuring cup. To start, I put in 1 dozen eggs and scrambled them with a whisk. Then I added 1 cup of pre-cooked bacon bits/crumbles. Then I added 2 cups of sharp shredded cheddar cheese. I added a liberal grind of black pepper with my pepper mill. I then remembered that I had a bunch of green onions and cleaned and cut 2 green onions into mix. I whisked it all together and poured it into a large ceramic pie plate that I had sprayed with cooking spray. I then baked it in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes until the center was firm.I let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

I was shocked at how well it came out. Not just taste wise, but it literally slid out of the well sprayed pie plate and onto the plate. It firmed up really well!

This recipe had exactly 5 ingredients, took no time to throw together and was given several compliments by Hubby, who didn’t mind the missing crust. See below for the reason we cut the crust out of the recipe. Not having a crust saved us a whopping 800 calories for the entire pie.

Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts, 2 Ct, 14.1 oz Box image 1 out of 10Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts, 2 Ct, 14.1 oz Box image 1 out of 10
Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts – 1 pie crust = 800 calories
BONUS Recipe: Feel free to give the recipe in this pie plate a try. I got the pie plate as a wedding gift over 33 years ago and have never tested this recipe. Be sure to let us know in the comments how it turned out if you decide to test it.
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December 12 2019

Recipe: Salmon Patties

Normally, I don’t actually eat seafood. I certainly don’t eat it in the whole form as served up in restaurants. The only way I eat seafood is if it is tuna packed in water in a can or salmon packed in a foil pouch. I used to eat salmon from a can, but now that kid number 2 has left home and is not willing to come over just to get the bones and skin out of canned salmon, I prefer to buy it in pouches. Yes, it IS more expensive, but I am worth it and besides, we just don’t eat it very often maybe three or four times a year.

Now I know the gourmet chefs in the group are going to judge this as not the right way to make salmon patties, but don’t judge, please. This is the way my mother always made them when I was growing up and it is one of only two ways that seafood of any kind enters my body. It probably is the way it is because we grew up eating what was cheap.

Here is my mother’s original recipe:

Salmon Patties
1 #303 can Salmon (Alaska Red Sockeye)
1/3 cup Open Pit Original BBQ Sauce
1 large Egg
¼ lb Saltine Crackers

Drain juice and remove backbone from salmon.  Mix all ingredients together, and form into patties.  Brown patties in a little oil in skillet.  Makes about 9 (3 inch) patties.  Refrigerate leftovers.  These are very good cold too. (An Eva Perkins Lauerman Original Recipe)

 

Here is the revised recipe using pouches instead of cans. I also figured out all the nutritional info using the MyFitnessPal app.

Salmon Patties
Chicken of the Sea – Chuck Style Pink Salmon Skinless Boneless, 4 pouches (5 oz drained ea.)
Open Pit – Original BBQ Sauce, 2/3 cup (34g)
Saltine Crackers – ½ lb.=2 tubes (150 crackers (15g) ea.)
Egg, Large – 2 large egg (50g)

Mix all ingredients together, and form into patties.  Brown patties in a little oil in skillet.  Makes about 9 (3 inch) patties.  Refrigerate leftovers.  These are very good cold too.

Nutrition Info makes 15 patties total 3 patties/serving:
376 calories, 9.3g total fat, 1.8g sat. fat, 2g polyunsat. Fat, 0g monounsat. Fat, 126.4mg cholesterol, 1204.8mg sodium, 0mg potassium, 43.7g total carbs, 0g dietary fiber, 9.6g sugars, 27.4g protein, 2.4% vitamin A, 0% vitamin C, 5.1% calcium, 23.6% iron.

If you decide to give either of these recipes a try, and they are both basically the same really, please let me know if you enjoyed them in the comments below. If you have a recipe that is better that you think I should try, please feel free to also leave that in the comments or email it to me. Maybe I will give it a try.

Interesting fact, WordPress tells me this is my 300th post on this particular blog. Where has the time gone? It has been almost 3 years since I took the plunge and bought the domain name. What do you think? Should I renew the domain name and keep blogging?

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November 14 2019

Recipe: Sweet & Sour Pork (or Chicken)

My hubby has been requesting this meal every time I ask what have you been hungry for at menu planning time each weekend for the longest time. So finally, we got the things we needed and made it. A double batch and it tasted so good we ate most of it the first night. I don’t make it often because of all the slicing and dicing it requires. I wish I could claim it was my own recipe but it is just one I found on the side of a can of pineapple decades ago and just had to try. It became a keeper after the first time we made it. It was more fun to make this time because for once, I didn’t have to cut everything up myself. In fact, Hubby was super helpful and peeled all the carrots in the bag, cut up the pork and handled the garlic. I highly recommend finding a helpful partner to cook with.

Here is what it looked like in the pot after we had already taken some out.

I decided to dish it up in these pretty Corelle bowls so I could take a photo to share with all of you.

Dole Sweet & Sour Pork or Chicken
(From the back of a can of Dole Brand Pineapple Chunks)
1 lb. Chicken or Pork
1 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1 medium Onion
1 clove Garlic, pressed
2 Carrots, sliced
1 medium Green Pepper, seeded, chunked or diced
1 (15oz.) can Pineapple Chunks, undrained
¼ cup White Vinegar
3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
3 Tbsp. Catsup
3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1 tsp. Ground Ginger

Cut meat into ½ inch pieces. Brown in oil. Reduce heat to low, add onion and garlic. Cover, cook 10 minutes. Add carrots and green pepper. Combine remaining ingredients. Stir into skillet. Cover, simmer 10 minutes longer. Serve over rice. (Serves 4) This recipe can easily be doubled. This is a big hit with those who love Chinese food.

I had a packet of microwavable rice in the closet, so in just 90 seconds I had cooked rice that I stirred right into the pot. If you decide to try this recipe, please let me know what you think in the comments below. I would personally like to thank Dole for providing this recipe all those years ago, it has been a great addition to our lives.

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September 12 2019

Recipe: English Muffin Pizza

I know it doesn’t seem like a real recipe, and yes, anyone could make these.  So, the thing you can do is use up any old bread product, no matter how stale as long as it isn’t moldy or if you scrape the mold off first. You can just spread your baking sheet with bread product of choice. I would like to suggest using English muffins forked apart into two lumpy halves, or even bagels split into halves. Those are my personal favorites. You can toast them lightly under the broiler to make the bread more firm.

Spread your sauce of choice onto the pizza base. Pizza sauce is, of course, acceptable, as is pasta sauce of any kind or barbecue sauce. Feel free to be creative. Now, if you chose to use bagels, I recommend using a pepperoni slice to cover the hole in the middle so your cheese doesn’t melt through.

This is also the time when you load you bread with sauce spread over it with the toppings of choice. Consider the usual meats, pepperoni, sausage, chicken, ham, bacon, or you can even go meatless.

Consider making your mother smile by putting a fruit or vegetable on there while you are at it. Another good option, if you chose to go meatless, is to cover the hole in a bagel with a spinach leaf. Other great choices are green pepper (red, orange or yellow work fine too), onion, green onion, pineapple, tomato, mushroom, black olives, green olives, banana peppers, and/or hot peppers of any kind. I am sure I am forgetting something but basically, if it sounds good to you give it a try.

Top everything with the shredded cheese of your choice, and consider sprinkling with some Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese for extra goodness. Then you bake these under the broiler until they look perfect to you.

You MUST watch them while they are under the broiler as things can go south really quickly if you don’t watch them. For those that are not aware, when you use the broiler on your oven, the door is to remain open about two inches for ventilation and this gives you the perfect space to keep an eye on your creations lest they burn.

As you can see in the photo below, these were just on the verge of getting too done in the back and middle rows and we were very messy with our cheese.

 

So, what if you don’t have bagels or English muffins? Well, when we were kids growing up, we made what we called pizza bread. This was plain white bread, not toasted, with pizza sauce and a slice of American cheese with the plastic wrapping removed. We thought we were living large eating our fancy pizza. I have also used tortilla shells as a super thin pizza crust, but be careful not to overload them with toppings.

So, there you have it, my “recipe” for making English muffin pizzas. Remember, don’t be afraid to experiment, use up whatever you have around the kitchen. Consider making dessert pizzas using leftover pie filling or sliced fruits, maybe marshmallow creme with peanuts and chocolate chips as toppings. Be brave and please share what you came up with in the comments below.

 

 

 

 

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June 13 2019

Tuna Salad

I recently made an old favorite that we haven’t had in quite a while. What did I make you ask? Tuna salad. Nothing special, you say? I beg to differ. Mine is not quite the usual recipe. I refrigerate the tuna before I make it still in the cans so it is cold and ready to serve right away. You don’t have to do this, but it is best to refrigerate for at least a couple of hours after making it if you don’t so everything gets cold and the flavors have a chance to mingle.

Karen’s Tuna Salad

6 cans tuna packed in water (not oil)
1-1/2 cups diced celery
1-1/2 cups diced green pepper
sweet pickle relish to taste
Light mayo to creamy texture

We (my daughter and I) figured out it doesn’t matter how many cans of tuna you use, the magic ratio of crunchy green stuff to tuna is 1/4 cup each of celery and green pepper for each small can of tuna you use. My daughter and I disagree on what type of relish needs to be used, she likes dill relish, and I can’t imagine it without sweet relish.

We drain the water off the tuna so it doesn’t make the final product all watery. I usually dice the celery to 1/4 inch or smaller, the tuna is fairly smooth and not as chunky as chicken for chicken salad would be, so I think it works best to have the veggies diced small, but you do what you want. Some times I get lazy and hurried and cut them bigger just to speed things up. I usually mix it all up in my 8-cup Pyrex glass measuring cup.

Stir in the light mayo and relish until you get the right combination of texture and taste.

Then I store it in small, single-serve plastic containers about 1 cup in each. This makes it quick to grab a container when packing lunches. We just take the bread or wraps we want to use with the tuna along in a separate bag or container.

We enjoyed it so much we ate it all up before I could take a photo to show you how yummy it looks, but if I remember to take a picture the next time I make it I will add it in. Obviously, you can use the tuna from a pouch or larger cans, but the small 5 or 6 oz cans are usually what they sell at Aldi, so that is what I use. So just adjust the recipe to fit the amount of tuna you are using.

Please let me know how you like this special treat. Remember that making meals at home and packing your lunch for work or school are great ways to save money.

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