I Hate to Cook Chicken! and the Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

Thanksgiving specials are starting to appear. The problem is, you never know whether they’ll get better as we get closer to the big day. My guess is that turkey and ham prices will go down, but that’s just a guess. Other things, maybe, maybe not.

Aldi has Butterball turkeys for 99 cents a pound, and hams ranging from 99 cents a pound to $1.99 cents a pound. Fresh sweet potatoes are $1.49 for a 3 pound package, or 50 cents a pound. Celery is 89 cents a head. Candied yams are 99 cents for a 16 ounce can, and yams in syrup (not as much sugar as the candied yams) are $1.29 for a 29 ounce can. Watch the blog and the Hub for a handout on fixing your own yams and sweet potatoes, that are cheaper and healthier and, if I do say so myself, better! A 14 ounce can of cranberry sauce is 89 cents, but, again, watch for my handout for how to fix your own. Canned pumpkin is 89 cents for 15 ounces, which is a good price, and cheaper than if you have to go out and buy a pumpkin to make your pie out of. Pie crusts are $1.49 for two, but they’re not hard to make yourself. All they take is butter (or lard or margarine) and flour.

Other advertised prices at Aldi - Red onions are 99 cents for a 2 pound bag, or 50 cents a pound. (Regular yellow onions were $1.99 for 3 pounds, or 67 cents a pound.) Baby carrots are 89 cents a pound. (Regular carrots, the kind you have to peel and cut yourself, are usually $1.39 for two pounds, or 70 cents a pound.) Cream cheese is 99 cents for 8 ounces, which they say is the new regular price. A pound of butter has come down from $2.49 two weeks ago to $1.99 last week and $1.69 this week! Their holiday catalog says that they have cream of mushroom and cream of celery soups for 49 cents each. (See last week’s blog for how to make your own from CREAM OF WHATEVER SOUP MIX.) Pineapples are 99 cents each.

This seems to be Aldi’s week for bargains. They still have eggs for $1.29 a dozen, and their 8 ounce blocks of cheese (Colby; Mozzarella; Cheddar in mild, medium, sharp or extra sharp; Swiss; and I think Jack) have come down from $1.79 each to $1.49. I got the impression from the signs that this is the new price for cheese, though I don’t know for sure.

For the holidays, Marsh has Norbest or Honeysuckle All Natural Turkeys for 99 cents a pound, and 40 ounce cans of yams for $2.50 each. They also have eggs this week, $1.99 for 18 eggs, or $1.33 per dozen. Butter is 2 pounds for $4.00. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are $1.99 a pound for a “family pack.” One pound bags of frozen vegetables are 48 cents each if you buy $30 of other stuff.

Kroger has boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs for $1.97 a pound. There are several things that are a pretty good price if you buy at least ten mix-or-match. Mostly these are brand names, if that matters to you. It usually doesn’t matter to me. Among these are Hunt’s or Ro-tel tomatoes for 49 cents a can (watch the sizes as the cans vary from 10 to 15 ounces), Campbell’s Cream of Chicken or Cream of Mushroom Soup for 69 cents a can, Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce for 99 cents a can, Swanson broth for 49 cents a can (but it’s better if you make your own), and Green Giant green beans for 69 cents a can. They also have bags of various frozen vegetables for $1 each, but they’re only 10 to 12 ounces per bag.

There really isn’t much here to work with when it comes to planning inexpensive meals, unless you want to start eating turkey now. I was going to go ahead and do that, but I just can’t bring myself to talk about turkey and turkey leftovers this close to Thanksgiving! So I’ll go with the ten pound bags of chicken leg quarters that Walmart has for $5.90 a bag, or 59 cents a pound. This comes to about 59 cents (let’s call it 60 cents) a quarter, or about 60 cents per cup of cooked meat. I’ve talked about chicken several times already, here and here and here and about turkey breast, which can be used interchangeably with chicken in most recipes that call leftover or cooked chicken. I talk about chicken a lot because it’s about the cheapest meat there is, on a regular basis. (Though I just this morning realized that I got about two and a half cups of cooked hamburger per pound of 73% lean ground beef, which cost me $1.87 per pound, and that comes out to about 75 cents a cup, which isn’t all that much more than the chicken, and I think it has more calories (energy dense foods are good, as long as they are also nutritious) and nutrition than the chicken. I’m going to have to reconsider my idea that chicken is cheaper than ground beef! But that’s for another day.)

I don’t know if it was real or not, but they used to say that a lot of families had a pretty regular rotation of menus. Maybe a roast on Sunday, chicken on Monday, spaghetti on Tuesday, pork on Wednesday, meatloaf on Thursday, fish on Friday, and pizza on Saturday. Or whatever. We didn’t, when I was growing up, but I have seen cookbooks built around this theme. It wasn’t always exactly the same – there might be two or three different recipes for spaghetti or maybe it would be lasagna instead sometime – but “Mom” had a lot of the meal planning down pat. A similar type of arrangement that I’ve heard about more recently is to come up with 28 menus and then to rotate them. You’re eating each menu once a month. Or sometimes it’s only 14 menus, and then you’re eating each one every two weeks. Whichever way it goes, people have been eating the same thing over and over and over for a long, long time!

Anyway, here are some ways of cooking chicken that you probably never even thought of. The first couple are from Peg Bracken’s The Compleat I Hate to Cook Book. Most of her recipes are very easy and (almost, at least) fool-proof, even for you who don’t like to cook or don’t know how. The problem that I have with her recipes is that a lot of them use processed foods. Which makes sense, of course. If you hate to cook, you’re going to want to take shortcuts where you can. Unfortunately, those shortcuts usually involve processed foods with lots of unpronounceable ingredients and too much salt and sugar. For all of these recipes, you can pull the skin off before you cook the legs, if you don’t like flabby skin on your cooked chicken. Because all of these cook in sauce and/or are covered, you’re not going to get crispy skin. If you do pull of the skin, be sure to make GRIBENES out of it.

5 MINUTE CHILI CHICKEN calls for a fourth of a jar of Chili Seasoning. Or you can make your own CHILI SEASONING. Really, the only significant cost is the chicken, if you make your own seasoning mix. Those tiny dabs of herbs and spices will cost next to nothing, and the same with the vinegar. (Be sure to buy the herbs and spices at either Walmart or Aldi. You can get most of them at Walmart for 64 cents a jar, and the others you can get at Aldi for 99 cents a jar. And a jar will last a long long time.) Let’s say 65 cents for two pieces, a thigh and a drumstick. How about half a can of green beans (49 cents a can at Aldi, or 25 cents per serving for two servings) and some COLESLAW to go with it? The cost of the meal per person comes to about $1.20, and it’s a lot of food. Or use your own favorite coleslaw recipe, or just lettuce with some dressing. It should come to about the same cost per serving.

The next recipe, COCA-CHICKEN, also from Peg Bracken’s The Compleat I Hate to Cook Book, sounds even more unlikely. But we’re looking for something different, right? Anyway, it’s cheap and it’s easy and you probably have all the ingredients on hand, except for the chicken. Sorry, but I don’t know of any way to make the Coke or ketchup this one calls for! How much is a can of Coke these days? A lot, if you just buy a single can, not so much if you buy a case or a liter bottle. Let’s say 50 cents for the Coke, shall we? And about 20 cents for the ketchup ($1.29 for 40 ounces at Aldi, the last time I looked), plus 60 cents each for the leg quarters or $2.40 for the chicken. So that’s a total of about $3.10 for the whole thing, or just under 80 cents per serving. We’ll just call it 80 cents per person. And what do you serve with Coke and ketchup besides French fries, which we’re not doing? Darned if I know! How about green beans again, and lettuce with Thousand Island dressing? Or whatever kind of dressing you have on hand. 25 cents per person for the green beans, and another 30 cents each for a quarter of a head of lettuce, and another 10 cents for the dressing brings it to $1.45 per person, though you could probably get away with smaller servings of the lettuce. Depends on how big the heads are.

Why not go all the way with Peg Bracken? One more recipe from that same book. Which, incidentally, is really a conglomeration of The I Hate to Cook Book, Appendix to the I Hate to Cook Book, and The I Hate to Cook Almanack. Hence, The Compleat I Hate to Cook Book.  SOUPERCHICKEN is a more conventional sort of recipe, calling for condensed soup. There are a lot of recipes like that out there. Her recipe calls for 2 to 3 pounds of chicken pieces, a can of condensed mushroom soup, a can of condensed onion soup, and 2/3 cup of dry white wine. I’ll give my own version of it, making my own condensed cream of mushroom and cream of onion soups.

The chicken comes to $2.40, plus another 50 cents or so for the sauce, assuming you use homemade chicken broth and use water instead of wine. Figure another 50 cents if you’re using canned chicken broth or wine. Say $3.40 for it all, or 85 cents a serving. You’re going to get a good 4 cups of sauce out of it, by the time the juices cook out of the chicken, so a thigh, a drumstick, plus the sauce will be a lot of food. You’ll want something to go with it, though. How about serving it over a bed of broccoli? Half a pound of broccoli per person is 50 cents (99 cents at Walmart for a pound of frozen broccoli cuts), which brings it to a total of $1.35 per person.

So there you have it. Three new ways to cook chicken legs, plus a recipe for Chili Seasoning (which you can make ahead and have on hand for making chili) and three menus for big, satisfying, healthy (mostly!) and nutritious meals for between $1.20 and $1.45 per person.

Happy cooking and eating!

Chicken Breasts and the Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

Have you noticed that most of the stuff that is on sale is highly processed and full of chemicals and gunk like that? Plain meat, poultry, dairy, fruits and vegetables are much less likely to be on sale. Sigh.

Marsh has Ragu pasta sauces for $1, and family packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts for $2 per pound. Pork steaks and Western Style ribs, both of which come from the shoulder, are $1.99 per pound. Cabbage is 50 cents a pound, and various kinds of leaf lettuce (romaine, green leaf, red leaf and butter lettuce) are $1.25 each. Ketchup and mustard are $1 each. Some frozen vegetables are $1 each for 16 oz packages, which is definitely worth checking out.

Aldi has a bunch of baking things on sale this week. Mostly equipment, but they do have some “Holiday Baking Spices” for $1.69. The ad shows cloves and ginger and says “assorted varieties,” so apparently there are more at that price, too. They also have extracts (the picture is almond extract) for $1.99 each.

On a healthier note, Aldi also has some great buys on fresh veggies. Onions are 3 pounds for 89 cents. Mushrooms are 8 ounces for 89 cents. Zucchini and bell peppers are 99 cents for a three-pack. Milk is $1.69 per gallon, and eggs were $1.29 a dozen when I was there Wednesday. They still had some good sized pumpkins for $1.99 each, though they weren’t on sale so I don’t how much longer they’ll have them.

Kroger has 24 oz cartons of cottage cheese for $1.99, and some cheeses $1.99 for six to eight oz packages. Red or green leaf lettuce is 99 cents a head. Pork chops and spareribs are $1.97 a pound, and so is boneless skinless chicken breast.

A few weeks ago I gave some recipes using the 10 pound bags of chicken leg quarters from Walmart for $5.90 a bag, or 59 cents a pound. They’re a better buy than the boneless skinless chicken breasts that both Marsh and Kroger have, but some people have a strong preference for white meat rather than dark, or they don’t have the time to cut up the leg quarters, or they don’t have a need for a 10 pound bag. Today I’ll give some recipes that call for boneless skinless breast.

Personally, I prefer the dark meat. White meat tends to be dry, at least when I cook it. Which may be because I don’t cook it very often and don’t really know what I’m doing. Because it is leaner than the dark meat, white meat cooks more quickly, and it dries out if it’s overcooked. Sauces may help keep it moist.

The first recipe is for STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST. If you want to get fancy, you can pound them flat, but I just cut them in half cross-wise. There will be lots of pan juices from the butter and the juices from the chicken itself, so be sure there’s something to sop them up. Spaghetti squash would be good, or chopped or pureed broccoli, or pureed cauliflower. In case you’re wondering why I never suggest rice or pasta or potatoes, there are two reasons. First, I don’t think they are good for you. There is a lot of research that says so, though I’ll grant you that there’s research that says that anything and everything is good for and more research saying that it’s not! The other reason is that I said when I started this column that I would present recipes and menus that cost about $1.50 per serving for a whole meal, without using rice or pasta or dried beans or potatoes or bread or noodles or ramen or other “fillers.” So I don’t include them and don’t suggest them.

Using cottage cheese instead of ricotta (it will make a lumpier filling, but it will taste about the same) and parmesan instead of Asiago, it comes to less than $4.00, or less than $1.00 per serving. I got a big spaghetti squash for $3.00 at the Farmers Market a few weeks ago, and it will make at least 6 to 8 cups of “spaghetti.” If it makes 6 cups, that’s 50 cents a cup, which is typically one serving. If it makes more than 6 cups, then you can either have bigger servings or cut the cost per serving. You could buy 2 pounds of broccoli cuts at Walmart for 98 cents each, and serve the chicken over it. 8 ounces per serving would cost 50 cents and keep you below $1.50 per serving. You could probably get generous servings of pureed cauliflower and keep it under $1.50, too.

I don't know how "Mexican" it is (probably not very), but at least QUICK AND EASY MEXICAN CHICKEN is quick and easy. Well, definitely easy, and quick in terms of hands on time, though it does have to bake for 40 minutes. Which should give you plenty of time to make the side dishes and get a load of laundry started while supper is cooking. The total cost for this is about $3.60, or 90 cents per serving. Add a three pack of zucchini from Aldi (99 cents), sliced and lightly sautéed or steamed, and a head of lettuce ($1.09 at Aldi), quartered, with ranch dressing, and it will come to right around $6.00. That’s about $1.50 per serving, depending on how much dressing you use. Or you could use two cans of green beans (49 cents each at Aldi) instead of the zucchini and still stay at about $6.00. The salsa, cheese and sour cream are all at Aldi’s regular prices.

I have stayed away from anything with mushrooms in it, because they are usually pretty pricey. Aldi has them for such a great price this week, though, that I’m going to include a couple of recipes with mushrooms today. The first one is BAKED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH ZUCCHINI AND MUSHROOMS. Unfortunately, I don’t know where I got the recipe. It uses chicken breast, mushrooms, and onion, all of which are on sale this week. If you can get zucchini at the Farmers Market, go for it! Otherwise, you can use the 3-packs of zucchini at Aldi. If you can get a fresh tomato at the Farmers Market, use it. Otherwise, drain a can of diced tomatoes and use them. Save the juice from the tomatoes to drink or to put in soup.

Assuming that you are using one 3-pack of zucchini from Aldi plus one extra zucchini (and using the other 2 zucchini for something else), and a fresh tomato, the total cost of this should be between $5.50 and $6.00, depending on the cost of the tomatoes. Marsh has hydroponic or beefsteak tomatoes for $2 a pound, which I’m guessing is what they would cost at the Farmers Market this late in the season. Half a pound of tomatoes should yield about a cup of chopped tomatoes, which would make it just under $6.00. It would be about $5.50 if you use canned tomatoes. This makes four big servings, so you shouldn’t need anything to go with it. The cost per serving, is right about $1.50.

Finally, my favorite mushroom recipe, SAUTEED MUSHROOMS AND ONION. As far as I know, I pretty much made up the recipe myself, and my guests usually like it. It’s too expensive to make very often if I have to pay full price for the mushrooms, but with them so cheap this week they will definitely be on the menu at my house. This will cost a little under $2.00, and will serve about two people as a side dish, or four people in an omelet, or three or four people if you add some cooked chicken or pork. As a side dish for two, it would run about $1.00 per serving. In an omelet, with 3 eggs and a tablespoon of butter per person (actually, I’d probably make a scramble with it instead of omelet, adding it to scrambled eggs just before they were done – it’s lots easier that way, though not as elegant or fancy), it would run about 90 cents per serving, and it would make a good and filling breakfast or lunch. Or supper, especially if you added a salad. If you added 4 cups of cooked meat from a bag of chicken leg quarters from Walmart, the total cost would be about $4.40, or $1.10 per person for 4 servings. You could serve a pound of frozen broccoli (99 cents at Walmart) as a side dish and still stay under $1.50 per person. Or a couple of cans of green beans (49 cents each at Aldi), or a head of lettuce with dressing.

Still Going Strong at the Farmers Market, and Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

Happy October! Are you ready for Halloween yet? I hope not – it’s much too early, though it seems like the stores have been selling Halloween stuff for ages.

The best deal this week seems to be milk. Aldi has it for $1.69 a gallon, Kroger for 88 cents for a half gallon, which comes out to $1.76 per gallon, but is a better deal if you wouldn’t use a whole gallon before it goes bad. Marsh has Egg-Land’s Best Eggs two dozen for $4.00, which is a good price on that brand. When I was at Aldi on Wednesday, they had regular eggs for $1.29 a dozen. Kroger’s ad says that they have 5.3 ounce Greek yogurt for 29 cents each, if you buy four of them. Butter at Kroger is $1.88 a pound, cottage cheese and sour cream are $1.00 a pound (or pint or 16 ounce), and various kinds of cheese are $1.88 for 6 – 8 ounces. It’s a good price for 8 ounces, not so good for 6 ounces. Kroger also has fresh green beans for 99 cents a pound.

Pumpkins are on sale, too, and they’ll keep until Halloween. Until Thanksgiving and probably until Christmas if you don’t carve them. Marsh has pie pumpkins for $1.99. Aldi has regular pumpkins for $1.99 (I have no idea how big they are). And the Kroger store at the corner of Second and College has pumpkins for 99 cents each through Saturday. It’s part of their Grand Re-Opening sale, and it seems to be only at that store.

Not much on sale in the way of meat. Kroger has 73% lean ground beef for $1.97 a pound in three pound chubs, which cost $5.91 each, and pork chops and spareribs for $1.97 in the large value packs. Marsh has boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.97 a pound in the family size packs.

I’m going to give some more recipes for summer veggies this week. (And by the way, I’ll be serving samples of Moussaka, a Greek dish eggplant casserole) on Friday at the Hub, starting about 4:00 or so. I hope you’ll stop by my tasting table!) Summer veggies won’t last much longer at the Farmers Market. Eggplant was running $1.00 each last Saturday, or sometimes 75 cents each for small ones. I usually get the big ones. The seeds don’t bother me in casseroles. I’m told that the big ones don’t work as well, though, if you’re going to slice the eggplant, like you would for Eggplant Parmesan. Really big zucchini were also $1.00 each, and I could still get the big red bell pepper seconds for 50 cents each. Canning tomatoes were a bit more than they were last week, but still a good price. Check last week’s for more recipes using eggplant and zucchini.

I have tried eggplant over the years, and could never find a recipe that I liked. I kept trying, though, because so many people said it was good. Finally, when I was testing recipes for a cookbook by Judy Barnes Baker, I found a really good recipe. And since then, I’ve found more recipes that I like. Here’s that first “good” recipe, for MOUSSAKA. Moussaka is a traditional Greek casserole made with layers of eggplant and sauce, with a custard over the top. Kind of like lasagna, except it’s Greek instead of Italian, has slices of eggplant instead of noodles, has lots less cheese, and is topped with custard. It's more work than I really want to do most days, what with the slicing and salting and draining and frying of the eggplant and then making multiple alternating layers of the eggplant and the meat sauce. I came up with a SIMPLIFIED MOUSSAKA that has the same great taste but is lots easier and takes lots less time in the kitchen.

A batch of either version of Moussaka should cost about $6.00, and will make six generous servings, at about $1.00 each. Serve it with a salad and or some fresh veggies from the Farmers Market, and you’ve got a complete meal for less than $1.50 per serving.

I think that SAUSAGE SQUASH CASSEROLE is my favorite zucchini recipe. It’s not for calorie counters, but it’s good and it’s inexpensive. And it freezes well, which is important since I like to make lots of squash and eggplant casseroles in the summer and then freeze them. Assuming the sausage is $3.00 and the zucchini is $1.00, this recipe costs about $6.05 and makes six servings at just over $1.00 each. (Aldi’s regular price on mayo is $1.99 for 30 ounces, and their regular price on Cheddar is $1.79 for 8 ounces if you shred your own.) There’s not much texture to it, so you’ll want to add either a salad or some tender-crisp vegetables to it. Another complete meal for under $1.50 per serving.

Do you like Sausage and Peppers? I usually don’t, because the peppers are always way overcooked, at least for my taste. I prefer them tender-crisp, like in a stir-fry. So here are two recipes - ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS for the traditionalists among you who like your peppers really soft, and STIR-FRIED ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS for those like me who like their veggies to still have a bit of bite to them.Take your pick. A lot of people must like the overcooked peppers, because that’s the way most recipes say to cook them! A recipe of either one would cost about $4.50, assuming $3.00 for the Italian sausage. It makes 4 servings, so each serving would be about $1.15. A good sized spaghetti squash is $2.00 at the Farmers Market now and would serve four generously, at 50 cents per serving. The Italian Sausage and Peppers over spaghetti squash would be about $1.65 per serving.

A similar dish from a different part of the world is Fajitas. Since I don’t eat grains, I serve the fajita meat and veggies on a bed of lettuce for FAJITA SALADS, instead of serving it in tortillas. You can add whatever toppings you want. I’ve included the cost for sour cream, shredded cheddar and salsa, but you could also add jalapenos, olives, guacamole, etc. If you’re not going to eat all six servings immediately, put aside the extra meat and veggie mixture before you put it on the lettuce or add the toppings. Then, when you’re ready to eat it, just heat up the meat and veggies, and continue with making the salads. Without the sour cream, etc., this costs about $8.00 for six servings, assuming boneless skinless chicken breasts are $2.00 a pound and allowing $1.00 for all of the seasonings, which is likely quite a bit more than it really is. You could use fajita seasoning instead of all of the individual seasonings, or use taco seasoning instead. Let’s say $1.35 per serving. Two tablespoons each of shredded Cheddar and sour cream would be another 15 cents. Aldi has jars of salsa for (I think – I haven’t checked recently) about $1.20 each, so say another 15 cents for salsa. That would bring the total up to about $1.65 per serving. And these would be BIG servings! 

Eggplant Casserole

(allrecipes.com)

4 cups water

1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup milk

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil; add eggplant. Boil for 5-8 minutes or until tender; drain and set aside. In a skillet, cook beef, onion and green pepper over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until tomato is tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in milk, egg and eggplant; mix well. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Toss bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until heated through. It would be good with grated Parmesan instead of or in addition to the buttered bread crumbs, but it would cost a bit more, too.

Baked Yams, Apples and Canadian Bacon (or Ham)

(adapted from a recipe in The Doubleday Cookbook, vol. 1, by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna, 1975)

4 medium size yams, parboiled, peeled, and sliced ½” thick (about 1 lb)

2 tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut in ¼” rings (about 1 lb)

½ t salt

3 c cubed cooked ham (or 8 slices ready-to-eat Canadian bacon, cut ¼” thick)

1 t prepared hot mustard

¼ c firmly packed light brown sugar

2 T butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 375. Layer yams and apples into a buttered 2-1/2 quart casserole, sprinkling with salt as you go. Toss the ham with the mustard to coat evenly, then spread on top of yams and apples. (Or spread each slice of Canadian bacon with mustard and arrange on top, overlapping spoke fashion.) Sprinkle with brown sugar and dot with butter. Bake uncovered 30 minutes, until yams are tender and ham (or Canadian bacon) is lightly glazed. 

Cauliflower and Ham Pudding

(based on a recipe in The German Cookbook, by Mimi Sheraton, 1965)

1 large head cauliflower

1-1/2 c coarsely ground cooked ham

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg yolk

3/4 c sour cream

1 T grated onion

1 T minced parsley

1 T tomato paste (optional)

1 t paprika (optional)

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375. Break cauliflower into flowerets, wash and cook until tender in just enough salted water to cover. Drain well. Butter a baking dish and add alternate layers of cauliflower and ham. Pack ham down around cauliflower pieces. Sprinkle each layer with grated cheese and dot with tiny flecks of butter. Mix egg yolk into sour cream along with the onion, parsley, tomato paste and paprika. Add a bit of salt and pour the sauce over the ham and cauliflower. Sprinkle with the last fourth cup of cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the top is brown.

Shaker Chicken Pudding

(adapted from Old Shaker Recipes, from Bear Wallow Books, 1982)

2 c cooked chicken (or turkey)

1 c fresh sliced mushrooms

1/2 c diced onion

1/2 c thinly sliced celery

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 t dried rosemary

2 c chicken stock

5 eggs, beaten

1 T butter, in slivers

Dash nutmeg

Preheat oven to 325. In a baking dish, combine chicken, vegetables, salt, pepper and rosemary. Mix well. Combine chicken stock with beaten eggs and pour them over the chicken and veggies. Dot the top with slivers of butter and a dash of nutmeg. Place baking dish in a pan with 1” hot water. (Put the larger pan in the oven and add boiling water, then the baking dish. Don’t put the water in the pan and then try to move it to the oven. You’re likely to splash hot water on yourself.) Bake at 325 for 50 – 60 minutes.

Turkey, Broccoli and Spinach Casserole

(part of the LEFTOVERS from my Thanksgiving Dinner for 12 for under $50)

3 or 4 cups of leftover turkey, diced

The leftover creamed spinach

1 pound frozen broccoli

4 ounces cream cheese

1 cup chopped onion

Cook the frozen broccoli with the chopped onion. If it was chopped broccoli, great. If it wasn’t, run it quickly through your food processor before you cook it so it ends up as chopped broccoli. If you process it after it’s cooked it’s likely to turn to mush. Combine everything and mix well. Put it in a casserole dish and bake it for about 40 minutes, or until it’s hot and bubbly. 

Broccoli, Spinach and Chicken Casserole

16 oz frozen chopped broccoli

16 oz frozen chopped spinach

3 c cooked diced chicken or turkey

8 oz cream cheese

2 T butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the broccoli and spinach a little less than the package calls for, and drain very well. (Squeeze the spinach to get rid of as much water as you can.) If you remember in time, save the water you drained from the veggies to make into soup later. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir well. Put it all in a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 until it’s bubbly and starting to brown on top. 

Stuffed Chicken Breast

(adapted from foodnetwork.com)

For the filling:

3 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly drained

1 c ricotta cheese (or use cottage cheese)

1/4 c grated Asiago (or use parmesan)

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1 t salt

1 t pepper

For the chicken:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 lb total)

3/4 c butter, at room temperature (soft but not melted)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t rosemary

1 t dried thyme leaves (or 1/2 t ground thyme)

1 t dried marjoram leaves (or 1 t dried oregano leaves or 1/2 t ground oregano)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450.

Combine the ingredients for the filling.

Cut each chicken breast almost in half, leaving it attached at one side. You want to make a big flat piece. It helps if you put one hand flat on top of the chicken, and cut carefully between your hand and the cutting board.

Place one-fourth of the filling on half of each piece, then fold the other half over to enclose it. Pinch the sides together, but don’t worry if they aren’t completely closed. Put the chicken breasts in a baking dish.

Mix the butter, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper, and rub the mixture over the chicken. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes, until the butter hardens. Roast for 25 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, at room temperature, before serving. Slice the chicken breasts and serve with pan juices.

Moussaka

Moussaka is sort of a Greek lasagna that uses eggplant instead of noodles. Sort of. If this looks like too much work, try SIMPLIFIED MOUSSAKA instead. You cook the meat and vegetables together and make a single layer of that, then pour the custard over the top. It's not quite as fancy, but just as good!

(from a recipe in Carb Wars, by Judy Barnes Baker, 2007)

2 globe or 6 Asian eggplants (about 2 lbs)

5 T olive oil

For the tomato sauce:

1 small onion, peeled and chopped (about ½ cup)

1 lb ground beef or lamb

1 T tomato paste

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1 fresh tomato, peeled and chopped, or 1 c diced canned tomatoes

2 T fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 c beef broth or water (you might not need this if you start with a fresh tomato)

Salt and pepper to taste

For the custard:

2 T butter

1 c heavy cream

Generous pinch of ground nutmeg

2 eggs beaten with a fork

Salt and pepper to taste

6 T grated Parmesan

Peel the eggplant and cut into 3/8” slices.  Salt both sides of the slices and place in a colander set over a bowl.  Put a heavy dish on top to press out the liquid.  Let stand for 30 minutes.  Rinse to remove the salt and blot the slices with paper towels until dry.  Heat oil for frying in a large skillet and sauté the eggplant on both sides until golden brown.  Remove the eggplant and set aside.  (Or brush the eggplant with olive oil and put them under the broiler for about 5 minutes per side instead.  It will be quicker.  Don’t let the thinner slices burn.)

To make the tomato sauce:  Add the onion to the pan in which the eggplant was cooked and sauté until soft.  Add the meat and continue to cook, stirring, until brown.  Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

To make the custard: Heat the butter and cream on low in a small saucepan, while stirring, until smooth.  Add the nutmeg.  Remove the pan from the heat.  Dip out a little of the hot cream mixture and mix it with the beaten eggs to temper. Stir the egg mixture back into the pan and blend until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the moussaka:  Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease a 9”x13” baking dish.  Put one third of the eggplant slices in the bottom of the greased baking dish, cover with half the meat sauce, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of cheese.  Repeat.  Use the last one third of the eggplant slices to make the top layer and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Pour the custard evenly over the dish and bake at 350 for about 50 minutes or until brown.  Let sit for 5 minutes before cutting. 

Taco Summer Squash Casserole

(based on a recipe from sugarfreelowcarbrecipes.com)

1 large zucchini or summer squash, coarsely grated
2 c chopped tomatoes (3 or 4 medium)
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
1 ½ teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
¾ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

Put everything but the cheese in a big (really big!) skillet or Dutch oven. Cook over high heat until the meat and the veggies are done and most of the liquid has evaporated. Put the meat and veggie mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish. If there’s too much liquid left, save it to put in soup later. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the meat and veggie mixture is bubbly. (I usually stir the cheese into the meat and veggies, because if I put it on top I tend to pick the crunchy cheese off the top and eat it, and the casserole itself ends up without.)

Easiest Eggplant and Sausage Casserole

(based on a recipe I got from somewhere, but I don’t know where)

1 eggplant, peeled and diced

1 lb bulk sausage

1 small onion, chopped

1 egg, well beaten

Peel and dice eggplant. Cook eggplant, sausage and onion in large skillet until vegetables are done and meat is brown. Remove from heat and stir in egg. Bake in a greased 1 quart casserole at 350 for about 25 minutes, or until bubbly.

Eggplant Casserole

(loosely based on a recipe from allrecipes.com)

1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed (at least a pound)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, (or 3 medium tomatoes, chopped)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup cream (or half and half or milk)

2 eggs, beaten

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, cook beef, onion, eggplant and green pepper over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 10 minutes or until the eggplant is done. Remove from the heat.

In a small bowl, mix the milk and eggs, then add to the meat and veggies and mix well. Transfer to a greased 9” square baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbling.

The original recipe called for sprinkling some buttered breadcrumbs on top before baking, but I don’t bother with that. Some grated Parmesan would be good instead.

Chicken and Vegetables

(adapted from Six Ingredients or Less Chicken Cookbook, by Carlean Johnson, 1989)

4 chicken leg quarters

Salt and pepper

4 T oil

1 c chicken broth

1 lb frozen broccoli cuts (fresh would be better, of course)

2 medium yellow squash, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced (optional)

Cut each leg quarter into three pieces, a drumstick, a thigh, and a piece of back. Save the backs to make soup. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet; brown chicken on both sides. Add broth and onions; cover and cook 30 to 40 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Add broccoli, squash and bell pepper; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender.