Budget Stretchers: Use it Or Lose it 2012 - Join the fun!

[Ninner]

Heather that is the recipe that I was looking for, thank you very much. Denise this is the one.

Laury, thank you for the other link as I have saved this to make in the future.

Now we are just missing Kitten's recipe that flour is added to the gravy???

I would like to say that I have made many roasts on a rack. Stop doing that & make a bed of one carrot & 2 celery stalks peeled & cut. Now when your roast is finished cooking & removed. Mash the veg. & continue with the gravy. I strain the gravy when finished as I think it makes a nicer item. Do not throw away the strained items as the men of the family will enjoy this. You will be asked if they is anymore?

[HeatherFeather]

Glad I found at least of the recipes you had lost. I seem to lose recipes a lot, so I am always keeping my eye out when someone else does the same.

I can check off more rice mix and the taco bell jalapeno sauce off my list. I made chicken quesadillas, using the sauce drizzled on them. My daughter didn't like the sauce at all, so I am not sure if I will keep it after the leftovers are eaten. I thought it was ok but not something I would buy again - too creamy for me. I served rice & black beans as well, using one of my rice mixes (not actually a Rice a Roni mix, but I am counting all brands of those rice mixes in my list - this was one of those yellow rice mixes in the tube).

I also made 2 loaves of pistachio bread tonight, using up some instant pudding mix.

The oatmeal is still staring at me - might turn some of it into dog biscuits tomorrow. I'll have to see if I have a dog bone shaped cookie cutter.

I still have to use up more of the pecans & walnuts. I plan to roast some of them for salad toppers, but still have to deal with the rest.

[Ninner]

Heather thank you again. It is not me that lost this recipe as I could make it in my sleep today. The other members wanted to try it. With this recipe you can do anything to it. It is the base recipe. Change the stock, add herbs for me it is the recipe to use for all my gravies.

Now there is another recipe of Kittens that uses flour in it. I do believe this is even more popular?

[Roxanne]

Okay for some reason I wasn't getting notifications for this thread and thought "hmm, is no one doing it this week?" Good thing I had a peek.

So happy to hear to that those packet gravies freeze well cause lots of times I am making those for one person (me) and I usually end up mixing leftover gravy with rice and a bit of meat then giving it to my dog (he loves that and goes crazy for it.) I personally love my gravy to be maybe semi-thick but rich tasting.

Ahma, brown rice can be used just like regular white rice, well at least for me cause I grew up eating it so I always use it instead in recipes which call for white - like fried rice and rice puddings.

[KareninMass]

I'm late to the game - but I've been reading and would love to play ....

I'm pretty good with canned / dry goods - I donate those to the food bank and even speciality foods such as dips and marinades are enjoyed by the folks use the service.

But .... I have some stuff in my freezer that is bothering me....

1) Frozen Stawberries - boys were on a smoothie kick this summer, but now have tired of it . Could I make freezer jam with these ? I've made topping fro waffles with some.

2) flour tortillas .... I know .. I know .. should be easy to use up ... but I don't like them, and other than quesadilla's .. no ideas how to feed them to the boys.

3) skinless boneless chicken thighs... I'm a white meat gal ... bought these to make soup and it was good ... but have some still left.

Thanks - I've been using all the great ideas so far to work on some of my stash !

[Roxanne]

Hey Karen, definitely not late ;) .

I'm a dessert gal and the first thing that crossed my mind for those tortilla was this
For the strawberries, no ice cream maker required for this one

[Kchurchill5]

Tortillas are a great thickener for soup. If you add them to hot broth, then puree. It makes a great base for a Mexican chicken soup. There are a few tortilla soups that use tortillas as a thickener. I like to puree it rather than not, but it works really well.

A tortilla casserole is also really good using chicken thighs, salsa, black olives and cheese. The tortillas almost become lasagna noodles.

Brushing them with olive oil, and then some some Mexican spice, cumin, onion or garlic powder and then cut in strips and baked makes a great crispy topping for a salad.

[Denise]

I'm late to the game - but I've been reading and would love to play ....

But .... I have some stuff in my freezer that is bothering me....

2) flour tortillas .... I know .. I know .. should be easy to use up ... but I don't like them, and other than quesadilla's .. no ideas how to feed them to the boys.

3) skinless boneless chicken thighs... I'm a white meat gal ... bought these to make soup and it was good ... but have some still left.

Thanks - I've been using all the great ideas so far to work on some of my stash !

This recipe will use up two of your ingredients and it's very good -

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos Verde
2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, diced
1 (16 oz.) jar of salsa verde
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves of garlic, minced
shredded cheese
guacamole
pico de gallo or fresh salsa
tortillas

Place chicken in the bowl of a slow cooker. Top chicken with the diced green chiles, cumin, onion and garlic. The pour the slasa over the chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Remove chicken from pot and shredded. Mix in enough of the juice leftover in the slow cooker to make the meat moist.
Spoon chicken into tortillas and top with shredded cheese, guacamole and pico de gallo.

Recipe adapted from No Fuss Fabulous

[Denise]

Oh, forgot to add - I season the chicken with my usual before I add to the slow cooker - salt, pepper, onion powder and paprika.

[Ninner]

Okay for some reason I wasn't getting notifications for this thread and thought "hmm, is no one doing it this week?" Good thing I had a peek.

So happy to hear to that those packet gravies freeze well cause lots of times I am making those for one person (me) and I usually end up mixing leftover gravy with rice and a bit of meat then giving it to my dog (he loves that and goes crazy for it.) I personally love my gravy to be maybe semi-thick but rich tasting.

Ahma, brown rice can be used just like regular white rice, well at least for me cause I grew up eating it so I always use it instead in recipes which call for white - like fried rice and rice puddings.

Roxanne, I am also having a problem with e-mail notifications. Usually it fixes itself in 24 hrs?

Church has a recipe called "Beer Pork Chops". This recipe can be made with chicken also. On the grill or in the oven. This is a great one dish meal. I use more beer then the recipe lists so I have leftovers. Then use all leftovers to add to rice the next day. Very nice!