Tag: dinner

Day #88 – Best Enchiladas + Best Stain Remover

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

Yesterday was the first day of Fall so, of course, we donned our jackets and went to the orchard to pick apples and have hot cider. After that we lit a fire and had streaming hot chili. That would be my dream, but we live in Texas and it was in the 90″s so we are still in shorts sweating our butts off. Hopefully before it officially becomes Winter we will have a few days of Autumn.

Anyway, I did not make a meal plan for this week. It was getting time to start dinner and all I had were chicken breasts defrosted. I went into my cabinet pantry and found a large can of green enchilada sauce. Mexican food it is. I got out my Instant Pot and started some pinto beans that I’d make into refried beans. I cooked them for about 90 minutes and then put the two chickens breasts on for about 30 minutes. I seasoned them with my powered broth and my badia seasoning. Then I added garlic and onion powder, paprika and cumin. After those cooked I shredded the chicken and added some of the broth to make it juicy. I got my pan out and added oil and put the tortillas in for about 5 seconds each. Added some of the green sauce to the bottom and rolled the chicken up in the tortillas. I poured the rest of the green sauce on top and added shredded colby jack cheese. Popped it into the preheated 350 degree oven while I made the rice.

I don’t like chicken enchiladas. I think it’s because I don’t trust restaurants to take out all of the fat. Same reason I don’t ever do chopped beef sandwiches at a BBQ place. These were probably some of the best enchiladas I’ve ever had. The green sauce was just what they sell at Aldi.

The two chickens breasts make 12 enchiladas. I don’t know why but I always seem to make enough beans to feed our whole street. We don’t do the canned refried beans because to us they taste metallic and these are so easy to make. The rice is just my go to mexican rice that I always make.

They were so good I had to have some for breakfast.

For being a spur of the moment, what the heck am I going to make for dinner meal it’s now one of our favorites.

Donny found that the employee that quit had an accident in one of the chairs in the clearance area. Donny had been off all week so he wasn’t sure how long that stain had been there. We went to Walmart and got this stain remover.

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It’s in the automotive section.

He didn’t know if it was going to work, but he sent me this picture.

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Holy stain remover Batman! Neither one of us could believe how well it worked. So If anyone needs this miracle product you know where to get it.

Day #53 – Putter Around Sunday

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

Yesterday the heat wiped me out! I was going to take today off, but there were some things that needed to get done. I had notice that the shelf I made out of the sign was pulling apart at one of the edges. A little e6000 and a heavy cookbook will hopefully take care of that. It has to cure for at least 24 hours though.

Donny makes fun of me because I have one laundry basket that is fine and normal and one that has cracks that pinch you if they’re not taped up. I like having two if I have a lot of laundry because it makes it go faster on all the transfers. Who cares if it has tape on it, they stay in the laundry room when I’m not using them. We had this conversation because I was taping the broken one up again this morning. It still works fine.

I have started writing all my recipes that I use often in my recipe binder. I’ve just been using an old scout notebook of Hannah’s.

I made a really good recipe tonight called Mission Trip Breakfast Casserole.

I did not use 2 pounds of cheese. That is a lot of cheese. I used two 4 oz blocks of sharp cheddar. I would also probably add 1 1/2 – 2 rolls of sausage. I only used 1 and I think it was a little sparse on the meat. Here’s what it looked like all stirred up.

After baking.

I think it was a hit because we only have 4 people in our family and I only had one small bowl of it and this is what is left.

I also left out the tomatoes. Jackson is not a fan of them.

In other cat news, Milo only will drink out of a glass whiskey tumbler. Since he has a large head, when it gets about 2 inches low he knocks it over. I tried to keep up with filling it up but it always ended up spilled. I found a bowl that he’ll drink out of and not knock over.

Baby Ruth is probably not going to let Hannah use her backpack because it’s her favorite place to nap.

Monkey found the plant water even though her water gets changed every morning.

Cats are so silly.

I also have a Wrigley update. They still haven’t given him shade, but I went out to play with him and he’s so clean. He hadn’t had a bath in 5 years and he’s like a different dog. He’s so energetic. It’s amazing what being clean and unmatted will do for a dog.

Day #48 – Grocery Haul (Aldi Editon)

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

Last night I made a grocery list of everything I will need for my recipes for the next 10 days. I will always shop at Aldi first because they have the best prices for most items. When I checked out my total was $216 which is much higher than normal, but recalculating I actually have enough for 12 dinners, plus breakfasts and lunches. I also went way earlier than I normally do (10 am) and there was hardly anyone in the store. I’m always nosy about what people buy so I thought I’d share what my family uses.

I use the sausage patties for Jackson’s Bobs (breakfast on a bun). Both kids like making the chicken fries in the air fryer so that’s an easy lunch for them. I normally don’t buy tater tots or hash browns, but I need them for 2 recipes.

I only needed 1 large pack of chicken and a smaller one, but the smaller one was way more expensive per pound so I’ll have 2 more meals and that’s okay by me. Some people don’t like buying the rolls of ground beef, but the 80/20 from Aldi is actually really good. I’ll be using a large portion of it tonight for teriyaki meat loaf.

The kids love the hamburger pitas so I always get 2 boxes when they have them. The Angus burger patties make making burgers so much quicker and they are really good. Jackson saw a recipe for cream cheese honey burgers so we’ll give them a try.

We go through a lot of cheese. Hannah is the ham eater and she loves making wraps for a quick lunch.

We already had peppers, avocados, brussel sprouts, apples, strawberries and blueberries so I just needed a few fruits and vegetables.

I’m not a huge fan of the canned cream soup, but two of my recipes called for it so I picked some up. We are not eating the cat food, I’m not that frugal, but the kitten is still having wet food in the mornings.

I normally don’t buy bread, but I’m making more uncrustables for Jackson. We don’t go through that many corn tortillas. The chickens like them for their snack. Speaking of chickens, yes, I had to buy eggs. the chickens can’t keep up with our demand.

Of course I had to get a watermelon. I’m going to be so sad when they are out of season.

So that’s the Aldi haul. I think it was a pretty good deal for what I got. It also gives me peace of mind to know I have everything ready to go for dinners. Except, I forgot hamburger buns so I’ll probably just bake some. They taste way better anyway.

One thing I can’t get at Aldi is my laundry soap. Luckily Drug Emporium is right around the corner. Jackson and I ran up there and they also had my favorite popcorn on sale.

I am definitely shopped out now.

Day #46 – Sweet and Sour Pork Chops With Crispy Rice

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

Today is Donny’s short day at work so Jackson and I decided to hit Walmart to grab some things that I only buy at Walmart. Unfortunately we didn’t realize it was tax free weekend and the last Sunday before school starts. It was a mad house!!! So basically I just recovered from that experience the rest of the day. I was excited to make the Sweet and Sour Pork chops I’ve had on my meal list for the last 2 weeks. Here’s the recipe.

Here’s the changes I made. I only had 8 thin sliced pork chops. I used sweet chili sauce, no brown sugar, half rice vinegar and half apple cider. I also 1 1/2 the recipe. I actually could have doubled the sauce. I did not simmer for as long as they said to. It was probably only about 30 minutes. They turned out so good!

I made crispy rice to go with it. I just made 1 1/2 cups of rice. (I don’t know how much that actually comes out to, but it’s 1 1/2 cups rice to 3 cups water). I let it cool and then put the rice in a big bowl and added 1 T of sesame oil, a lot of chili crisp because we love it. soy sauce (just use as much as you like). Stirred it all up and spread it out on a baking sheet. Pop it into a preheated 425 oven on the top rung for 15 minutes. After about 8 minutes give it a good shuffle and continue cooking. If it’s not as crispy as you like keep cooking in 5 minute intervals. This will definitely be one of my regular sides.

So so so so good! I also sauteed some broccoli in sesame and olive oil with a little soy sauce.

This will go into my meal rotation because everyone liked it. There’s something to be said for those 1980’s recipes, even if you have to tweak them a little bit.

These are two of the items I used. I got both at Walmart. I’ve seen the exact same chili crisp at the Asian Market, but it’s about 3 dollars more there. I eat the crisp on just about everything;

Day #45 – Best Chicken Fried Rice + Lil Helpers

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

A few nights ago I made the best chicken fried rice. I made a huge batch. Hannah and I have eaten on it until now it’s gone. It’s so easy. Here’s how I made it.

In the morning make 1 1/2 cups rice. Put it in the fridge to really cool off.

When you’re ready to make dinner, cook 2 chicken breasts. I did mine in the instant pot. Then shred the chicken.

I just got a bag of mixed vegetables and cooked those and set them aside.

In a very large skillet or wok, heat some oil with a splash of sesame oil. Add a chopped onion and cook until transparent. Add the mixed veggies and cook for a little bit. Scoot all that over to the side and add 2 scrambled eggs. When those are cooked mix it all together.

Add the chicken and the rice and cook until the rice is a little browned. Add soy sauce. What makes it so good also is to add yum yum sauce once you’ve plated it. I’m going to make it again this week it was that good.

I manage to get all of the laundry done. I do not like putting mine and Donny’s laundry away when the drawers aren’t neat so I decided to go ahead and redo our drawers. I got some help with that.

Unfortunately they weren’t that big of a help, but it feels so much better to have everything where it needs to be. I still use the Marie Kondo folding system.

While I was doing laundry I almost had a heart attack because the neighbors dog came running up. I put him back in their backyard and tonight he got out again. He looks just like a coyote. I can’t tell you how many times I thought that’s what he was. He’s so sweet though and doesn’t even bother the cats at all.

I wish I could have gotten a better picture, but he’s still a puppy and hyper.

Day #32 – Meal Planning

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn 100 DaysLeave a comment

Lately I have been in such a cooking slump. In fact yesterday I just told everyone to figure out what they wanted on their own because I wasn’t making dinner. Yeah, it had gotten that bad. I just felt like we aimlessly went to the grocery, not really planning what I was going to cook. Today I decided that that was enough. Donny had an appointment at the DMV, so while he was gone I leafed through some cookbooks for inspiration. The two that I pulled recipes from were these.

The Altar Society is from 1980 and the vp-49 is one that we did when I was in the Officer’s Wives Club in 1987. I made a list of the 10 meals I wanted to make.

It helped that I cleaned out the fridge and freezer before making my list of what we needed to buy. I already had some chicken breasts for the fried rice and a pork tenderloin for the stromboli. We headed to Aldi to do some damage.

I was actually shocked that our total came out to right at $100. I think it helps that we don’t buy soda or many processed foods. Here’s what we bought.

This actually includes all of Donny’s lunches that he takes to work. I already had staples such as dried beans, rice and frozen vegetables. I’m sure we will have to buy more milk because we got through it like crazy. But just think about it. For, a little over since I had some meat already, $100 I can make over 10 family meals. That’s what we spend on ONE meal eating out for the 4 of us. It really does pay to eat at home.

Tonight I had already thawed out some pork that I was planning on cooking last night before I had my meltdown. I did feel bad so I made a Sunday dinner. I know it’s not Sunday, but it is for us because of Donny’s days off.

Pork cooked in the instant pot.

Potato wedges in the air fryer. So easy and good, Peel and wedge you potatoes. mix up oil, garlic power, onion powder, kosher salt and hot sauce. Coat the potatoes and cook at 375 for 20 minutes.

Cabbage because we had half a head left in the veg bin and I didn’t want it to go bad. I don’t know why the pic looks so overexposed.

Yeast rolls. These are a labor of love because they are time intensive with the double rise, but oh so worth it. I don’t eat bread so Hannah is always my guinea pig with anything gluten. She loved them and she worked at Texas Roadhouse which is the recipe I used.

I will say I feel better about cooking now that I have a plan. I’ll let ya know how each recipe turns out especially with my pickier eater son.

Kevin’s Enchiladas

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn RecipeLeave a comment

If you have a TikTok account you must follow Kevin Ashton. He is a chef for a sorority house. He is the Bob Ross of cooking. You’ll know what I mean if you see his videos. His voice is so soothing and I just love to watch him make each magnificent dish. I saw a recent video of him making green Verde chicken enchiladas. Because he cooks for about 25 girls, you kind of have to guess the measurements, but it isn’t hard. I had leftover chicken in the fridge that I needed to use up so this is what I made.

shredded chicken

tomatillos

poblano peppers

jalepeno peppers

white onion

chicken broth

oregano

salt

cumin

cilantro

garlic cloves

shredded Monterey jack

shredded colby

tortillas

Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the tomatillos, poblano peppers, onions and jalapenos. Just stir them around until they start getting soft.

Add the chicken broth and cook for about 30 minutes on a simmer.

After it has simmered add the oregano, cumin, salt and cilantro. I used a stick blender, but you can use a regular blender. Just blend it until smooth. Add a generous amount of sauce to your chicken. Next add a generous amount of Monterey Jack. Mix that all up.

Pour some sauce into your baking dish. Grab your tortilla and put the mixture in the middle and roll it up. After you’ve done all the tortillas, spoon the sauce over the enchiladas and add more Monterey jack and Colby. Pop it into a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Y’all, it was so good. I should have added more peppers, but they were so hot that I was afraid it would make the sauce too hot. As for the spices, just add as much as you like. I used 1/2 of a large onion, 4 large garlic cloves and 10 tomatillos.

Little Friend + Ragu

On By thefunkyfrugalistaIn RecipeLeave a comment

Yesterday the wind picked up. Everything was blowing around. The cats didn’t want to be outside. The chickens stayed in their coop most of the day and even put themselves to bed early. All of the blustery weather was worth it because today was the perfect Fall day. It was a flannel shirt and boots kind of day.

Since I knew Donny was going to be off today and that we needed to get some errands run, I made tonight’s dinner yesterday. The recipe also said that it’s even better if you let it sit in the fridge overnight.

It’s called short rib ragu. Donny watches the Today show every morning and they had a chef on making it and it looked so good I just had to try it. It’s time consuming because you have to let it simmer for 3 1/2 hours, but I was in a cooking mood and had the time. I actually used a roast because it’s what we had in the freezer.

It calls for 1 1/2 pounds of short ribs or roast

3 T olive oil

3 large carrots, diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups of beef broth

1 3/4 cups of red wine

fresh thyme, rosemary and basil (however much you like)

freshly grated parmesan

Heat olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven. Salt and pepper the meat. Sear the meat on all sides until nice and brown. Remove meat.

Add the carrots, celery and onions. Saute until fragrant (about 7 minutes). Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the broth, wine and fresh herbs. Add meat and bring to a boil for about 5 mins. Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2 hours.

After it has cooked, remove and shred the meat. The recipe said to remove half of the sauce and put it in a blender until smooth. I just used my stick blender and it worked just fine. Add the meat back in. I let mine cool and then put it in the fridge. If you don’t have time to do that, boil your pasta. While it’s boiling, add 1 cup (or more) of the cheese to the sauce.

It was SO good. You can use any type of pasta you prefer. I forgot to take a picture when it was finished, but I took one after everyone had eaten.

It looks a mess in this picture, but I promise you, it is so flavorful, hearty and stick to you ribs kind of meal. I served it with garlic bread. Does anyone else use a peeler to shave off butter for toasted bread. I haven’t owned a toaster in forever because I like to make mine under the broiler.

I can’t believe that November is almost over. I was outside getting the Christmas decorations out when I saw Queso playing with something in the grass. The cats are always finding lizards or bugs to chase around. This time it was neither of those, but this cute little guy that Queso would pick up, let go, chase and then repeat the whole process over again.

He snuggled right up in my hand. I took him into the backyard and let him go into the tree line. While I was back at the shed, about 20 minutes later, I saw something running toward me with Queso chasing it. It was the little mouse running to me. I scooped him up and put him inside the chicken coop where he seemed very happy. Some chickens will eat mice, but mine don’t seem to care. They have very different personalities than most chickens as they don’t like worms, but love tortillas, Mac ‘n cheese and french fries. Plus the little guy will be safe in there away from the owl that seems to like to hang out in the trees behind our house. Maybe I’ll see little mouse again soon.