Cranberry sauce

I made cranberry sauce for the first time ever this morning. Yay. It turned out great. I may never go back to the canned stuff. My daughter was eating it for breakfast and saying how yummy it was. I just followed the recipe for whole berry sauce on the package of the Ocean Spray cranberries.

Cranberry sauce
Ocean Spray recipe

1 C. water
1 C. sugar
One 12 oz. bag of Ocean Spray fresh or frozen cranberries

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occassionally. Pour sauce into a bowl, cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 2-1/4 Cups.

Cake Mix Cookies

If anyone is still with me this week, and not running around like a turkey with her head cut off...... I went to Albertson's last evening to get the Betty Crocker frosting and cake mixes on sale. If you buy five at a time, the cake mixes are .69. That is the lowest that I've seen cake mixes for awhile. Unfortunatley the rewards only work one per transaction. So today I will be back to Albertson's, and then tomorrow I will be back, and then the day after that.....maybe. Below is a recipe for Cake Mix Cookies. .69 and you can make cookies for your family. There is also a really good recipe on the "Chocolate Garden" blog on my sidebar for big and soft homemade oreo cookies with a buttercream and cream cheese frosting blobbed in the middle of two of those bad boys. See the cookie section of that blog. You'll need two chocolate cake mixes for that recipe.

Cake Mix Cookies
Recipe from Carrie B. off of the couponsense message board

1 (18.25 oz.) package yellow cake mix
1/3 C. vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets. Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in the oil and eggs until well blended. Mix in chocolate chips. Drop y teaspoonfuls onto the prepare cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from pan to cool on wire racks.

Carrie suggests different flavored cakes mixes, ie., chocolate cake mix with white chocolate chips, carrot cake cake mix with white chocolate chips. Or you could put cream cheese frosting on the carrot cake cookies. Lemon cake mix cookies with a lemon glaze, chocolate cake mix cookies with chocolate frosting, cherry chip cake mix cookies....possibilities to suit every taste and are endless.

Budget Menu for what's on sale Nov. 17-Nov. 26

Took me a long time this time. I get distracted easily and I was planning eleven days. Don't ask me why eleven. The ad this week runs until Thursday, the 26th, which is Thanksgiving day. And then I don't think that we will get an ad until Wednesday again. The following Wednesday, as in the first Wednesday in Dec. There might be some weekend specials though, to tide us over. So the total is twice as much. But there is a BIG Thanksgiving day menu and eleven days worth of food in there. Do as little or as much as you want. I think all recipes for this week are already on the left side. I am more scattered as usual as I'm writing this, so check your grocery list carefully with your final plan for your menu.

EDIT NOTE: I bought four packages of Oscar Mayer bacon at Fry's on Sat. and received two catalina print out coupons for $2 off of my next purchase at Fry's. Which I can use to purchase more bacon and freeze. makes the bacon really cheap. There was also a coupon in Albertson's ad Sunday for buy one Bar S bacon and receive two free that could be used at Fry's this week. I haven't figured out what the bacon would end up being per package with that deal. So, no excuses to go without pork fat this week.

$129.97


$129.95
- $5.00 from Sprouts coupon
- $5.00 from Fresh and easy coupon
$119.95

Breakfast
1-Egg biscuit, cranberry juice
2-Pancakes, bacon
3-Oatmeal
4-Ham and eggs, toast
5-Cold cereal, milk
6-Pancakes, sausage
7-Oatmeal, cinnamon toast
8-Pancakes, bacon
9-Cold cereal, milk, apple juice
10-Breakfast tacos
11-Egg biscuit

Lunch
1-PB&J sandwich, banana, cookie
2-Ham sandwich, banana
3-PB&J sandwich, apple, pretzels
4-Ham sandwich, wheat thins, apple
5-Turkey sandwich, orange
6-PB&J sandwich, wheat thins, cookie
7-Turkey sandwich, animal crackers
8-Bacon sandwich, cookie
9-PB&J sandwich, orange
10-Egg salad sandwich, apple
11-PB&J sandwich, cookie, apple

Dinner
1-Ham, scalloped potatoes, vegetable (freeze ham in portions for sandwiches and meals, then thaw accordingly)

2-Grilled cheese sandwich

3-Taco soup with sour cream and cheese as accoutrements

4-Thanksgiving Dinner
Cranberry juice
Potato chips, wheat thins, carrot/celery sticks, ranch dip(sour cream with garlic salt to taste, thinned with a little milk or water to desired consistency)
Turkey
Apple/Sage dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Cranberry sauce
Vegetable
Green bean casserole
Pretzel jello salad
Yams
Crescent rolls
Pie, whipped cream

5-Turkey Cottage pie, leftover vegs/salads

6-Baked Potatoes with leftover taco soup on top, leftover vegetables from Thanksgiving dinner

7-Spaghetti, garlic toast

8-Turkey Quesadillas, vegetable

9-Salad, crescent rolls. Use any leftover Ranch dip from Thanksgiving as salad dressing if desired, by thinning down with a little more water or milk. Or leave thick if you like it that way. throw in some dried onions or minced fresh onion if you like.

10-Ham Fried Rice, vegetables

11-Frittata, leftover vegetables

Dessert:
Ice cream
cookies

Grocery List:
Bashas
Norbest Turkey, .29 lb with $50 purchase, a 15# bird will be $4.35
Cooks smoked Ham, .99 lb., aprox. $10
Apples, .49 lb., buy 10 lbs. at $4.90
Pumpkin or apple pie, $2.99
Bashas milk, $1.49, buy 3
Flav R Pac vegetables, .69, buy 5
Bashas eggs, $1.29, buy 3
Ocean spray juice, $1.99, buy 2
Food Club butter with shocker coupon and $25 purchase, .98
Blue Bunny ice cream, $1.48 with shocker coupon and $25 purchase
Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, $1.00
Stokely's vegs, .59, corn for taco soup
Food Club tomatoes, .69, buy 2
Princella yams, $1.50
Wheat thins, $1.88
Carrots, .49 for a lb. bag
Celery, .79
Black beans, allow for .99 for a can
taco seasoning, allow for .99 for a packet
Flour tortillas, allow for $2.99, buy 2
Tomato sauce, allow for .50, buy 2
Onion, allow for $1, buy 2
Strawberry jello, allow for $1.00
Frozen strawberries, allow for $3.00
Lettuce, allow for $1.50
Tomatoes, allow for $1.00
rice, allow for $1.50

Fry's
Russet potatoes, 5 lb. bag, .58, buy 2
Heinz gravy, $1.00
Cool whip, $1.00, buy 2
Kraft Phildelphia cream cheese, $1.00
sour cream, $1.00, buy 2
Kroger shredded cheese, .97, buy 2
Kroger bar cheese, .97
Lay's Potato chips, $1.77
Oscar Mayer bacon, $1.77, buy 2 (there is a killer coupon out there, taking $1 off, see http://www.couponsense/ for more info.)
Bananas, .39 lb., buy 5 lbs.
Farmer John pork sausage links, 10/$10, buy 2 (buy 3 or 4 if you want sausage in your bread dressing for Thanksgiving day dinner)
French's fried onions, $2.99
Pillsbury Grands, $1.88, buy 2
Krusteaz Pancake mix, $2.49
Kroger pancake syrup, $2.49
Pretzel sticks, $1.50
Swanson broth, .75, buy 2
Kroger Value bread, .88, buy 6
Fry's spaghetti, .88
Kroger Value pasta sauce, $1.15
Kroger Value cereal, $1.00, buy 2
Kroger Value cookies, $1.19, buy 2
Kroger Value animal crackers, .99
Kroger Value apple juice cocktail, $1.29
Pillsbury crescents, !.88, buy 2
Oats, allow for $1.50
Campbells cream of mushroom soup, .75
Kroger Value peanut butter, $1.49

Sprouts
Oranges, .33 lb., buy 10 lbs. at $3.30
Lean ground beef, $1.99 lb., buy 3 lbs. at $5.97

Other great deals:
Mrs. Cubbisons dressing, .99-Fresh and Easy
Farmer John half ham, .77 lb-Fresh and Easy
Stove top stuffing, $1.00-Fry's
C&H brown or powdered sugar, $1.29-Bashas
Lean ground beef, $1.99 lb.-Sprouts

Ingredients not listed:
brown sugar
spices
garlic salt
you'll need more butter most likely
oil
flour
sugar
Mayonnaise
jelly

Fun test

http://www.humorsphere.com/fun/8787/colortest.swf

Parsnips

My mom always had to have Parsnips at our Thanksgiving table so now sometimes I do and sometimes I don't have them at ours, because I'm the only one who will eat them. Maybe my daughter does now, I don't remember. Anyway, I think of them and I think of thanksgiving. For those of you who are clueless as to what I'm writing about, parsnips are those strange white carrot looking veggies in the produce section. They have a sweet earthy taste somewhat like a carrot but different from a carrot. There, that was clear. The thing that is clear is that there are two distinct camps when it comes to parsnips, you either hate them or you adore them.

Here is how I do it, seems like a labor intensive dish and you'll use every cooking technique while making them, but you'll be in the kitchen anyway and they can be prepared a day or two before and warmed up when you serve.

Parsnips
this is a no measure recipe

Parsnips-probably 1/2 per person if you've never had them before
butter
brown sugar
salt and pepper

So scrape or peel the parsnips like you would a carrot. Cut off the ends and I cut into chunks about 5 or 6 inches long. Cover with water and boil until tender but not mushy. Drain.

When cool enough to handle, slice lengthwise so that you have nice long and thin slices. I then fry in butter until golden or a little color on both sides but not overcooked, season with salt and pepper.

Then transfer to a casserole and dot with butter and sprinkle all slices with brown sugar. You will then bake to warm. Or do what I do and heat up in the microwave because by this time you've cooked them to death anyway. They are dead, and safe to eat by now. You can tell that I always thought this was a funny recipe or steps to take for one mere vegetable. But I must admit, now that I'm older, I am hooked and will be buying these next week to boil, fry and bake.

Parsnips are also great in stews along with the carrots. Treat them as you would a carrot if putting them in stew.


Post your favorite non traditional sounding Thanksgiving dish or recipe if you want on the comments section of this post.

Leftover Turkey Ideas

I know, early to be thinking this way, but you have to plan what you'll need that is extra from the Thanksgiving dinner, so you can get it all at once. These recipes are great because they make use of several Thanksgiving dinner ingredients.

Turkey Cranberry Sandwich on Cranberry Foccacia
This is something that DH serves in the Deli
I am working on finding a place that would sell Cranberry Foccacia b/c his vendor does not sell to the public. A soft yeast roll or yummy white bread would work well also, I think.

Ingredients:
Cranberry foccacia or rolls or bread
Whole berry cranberry sauce
Cream cheese
Mayonnaise
Green leaf lettuce
Sliced turkey

Directions:
Slice roll or foccacia in half
Spread cream cheese on top half, then a thin layer of mayo
On bottom half spread whole berry cranberry sauce on the bread, thin turkey slices on top of that, and a leaf of green leaf lettuce on top of that.
Put together and enjoy. If using a foccacia round or square, cut into pie wedges or squares


Turkey Cottage Pie
From Sara Moulton

Ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup turkey gravy
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 1/2 cups bite-sized cooked turkey pieces
1/2 cup cooked peas
1/2 cup cooked carrots
1/2 cup cooked pearl onions
salt and pepper
2 cups turkey stuffing
Melted unsalted butter, as needed

Directions:
In a saucepan sweat the celery, carrot, onion and garlic in the butter, covered with a buttered round of waxed paper and the lid (or pretend you didn't hear that waxed paper instruction and don't do it), over moderately low heat for 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the gravy, stock or broth and cook over moderate heat, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the turkey, peas, carrots, pearl onions, salt and pepper to taste, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Trasfer the mixture to a flameproof 1 1/2-quart baking dish, and with a spatual spread the stuffing over it. Drizzle the stuffing with some melted butter. Bake the pie in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 30 minutes, or until bubbling, and put it under a preheated broiler until the top is golden brown.

Turkey Quesadillas
I saw this on one of Sandra Lee's shows

Flour tortilla
diced turkey
leftover stuffing
shredded cheddar

In a dry skillet, place a flour tortilla, layer some cheese, some turkey, some stuffing, more cheese and top with a flour tortilla. Cook until hot being careful not to burn. Cut into wedges.


Post your favorite ideas or recipes for leftover turkey in the comments section.

Turkey Enchilada Casserole or Turkey Enchiladas
see Chicken Enchilada Casserole or Chicken Enchiladas under the recipe section
Switch out turkey for chicken. Should work out fine to do so.

Up and Monsters Inc.

Some coupons for movies you may be interested in. They expire in a day or so, so hurry.

Up
http://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/up/couponoffer/

Monsters Inc.
http://momstayshomewithme.com/coupons/10-coupon-for-disney-pixar-up-monsters-inc/