Chicken Breasts and the Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

Before I get to the sales at the stores, a quick reminder for those of you who use food stamps. Don't forget that you can exchange up to $18.00 of food stamps each week for up to $36 of Market Bucks to use for fruit, vegetables, meat, etc. at the Farmers Market. You're getting the Market goods at half price. A wonderful deal!

Aldi has lots of fresh fruit on sale again this week. Strawberries are $1.49 a pound and blueberries are 99 cents a pint. Mangos are 39 cents each and seedless watermelons are $2.99 each. Cherries are new this week at $1.99 per pound. Five-pound chubs of regular (73% lean) hamburger are $10.99, or $2.20 per pound. Feta crumbles are $1.99 for 4 ounces. Kalamata olives are $2.79 for 6 ounces. “New low prices” include canola oil for $2.49 for 48 ounces, vegetable oil for $2.29 and corn oil for $2.59, both also 48 ounces. Steak sauce is 95 cents for 10 ounces. Heavy whipping cream is $1.79 per pint. Nonfat yogurt is $1.69 for 32 ounces, or one quart. Canned salmon is $2.39 for 14.75 ounces. Salad dressings are $1.29 for 16 ounces. Ketchup is $1.29 for 38 ounces. Prices are good through Tuesday, July 8.

Marsh has Oscar Meyer franks at buy one get one free, but don’t know how much that first one costs. Seedless watermelons (average 10 – 12 pounds) are $2.98 each. Prices are good through Wednesday, July 9.

IGA has boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenders for $1.69 a pound, which is the lowest I can remember seeing in a long time. Corn on the cob is 5 ears for $1.00. BBQ sauces are 99 cents for 18 ounces. Frozen veggies are 10 for $10.00 or $1.00 each, for 12 – 16 ounce bags. That’s a good price for 16 ounce and ok for 12 ounce. Kraft cheeses are $5.00 for 3 packs, or $1.67 each, which is good for the 8 ounce packs and not so good for the 5 ounce packs. Tomatoes on the vine are $1.47 per pound. Prices are good through Sunday, July 6.

Kroger has 8 packs of hamburger and hotdog buns for $1.00. Cheeses are $2.99 for 12 to 16 ounces, which is good at 16 ounces and ok at 12 ounces. Sour cream and dip are $1.00 pint (16 ounces). Ice cream is $1.98 for 48 ounces (a quart and a half) but that may just be through Sunday. The ad wasn’t clear about that. Regular (73% lean) ground beef in packages of three or more pounds is $1.99 per pound. Again, that may be just through Sunday. Eckrich hot dogs are 89 cents a pound. Ground turkey is $2.50 a pound. Oscar Meyer franks are $1.50 per pound. Green beans are 99 cents a pound. Cherries are $1.88 per pound. Red, orange or yellow bell peppers are 99 cents a pound. I’m guessing that’s somewhere around 50 cents each, but it depends of course on the size. Prices are good through Wednesday, July 9.

Rats! Kroger did it again. I try to get as much as possible done on Wednesday (especially when the Hub is closed on Friday), but that means that I have to select my meat before seeing the Kroger ad. I probably would have gone with their ground beef for $1.99 a pound if I’d known they had it for sale. Oh well. I just talked about ground beef a couple of weeks ago, and anyway, you can still get it at that price and have it for hamburgers on the Fourth. Buy some extra at that price, too, if you possibly can, so you can eat it later in the month and get some variety then. Ground beef recipes are under the Meat heading of the Other Recipes page.

So, since I didn’t know about the ground beef, it’s chicken breasts this week. Which is fine since I found a whole bunch of new chicken recipes recently. Don’t forget the links to chicken recipes on the special Fourth of July post, too, and the complete list of chicken recipes under Other Recipes.

Speaking of the special Fourth of July post, be sure to check it out if you haven’t already done so. It’s got links to all of the picnic-type food that’s been posted on the new blog so far.

A bánh mi is a traditional Vietnamese sandwich which includes meats and vegetables. (Here’s a site with a bit of info about the bánh mi.) Since I’m not doing bread, I’ve changed it to a GRILLED CHICKEN BANH MI SALAD by serving it on a bed of lettuce instead of between two slices of bread. I’m using grilled chicken breast, since chicken breast is the featured meat this week, but other meats can be used instead. And if you don’t have a grill, go ahead and season the chicken and then cook it in a skillet instead. It comes to right about $6.00 for four big servings of salad, though I had to estimate on some of the ingredients. I tried to err on the side of higher costs. Unfortunately, this doesn’t leave room in the budget for anything else. If you can squeeze it in, some fresh fruit would go well with this. A two cup serving of watermelon would run about 20 cents. Or serve WATERMELON ICE POPS for dessert for less than 10 cents per serving.

A traditional ingredient in bánh mi is do chua, or pickled daikon radish and carrots. I haven’t included it in this recipe because the recipe I’m copying from doesn’t use it. Here’s a link for a recipe for do chua  in case you want to try it for yourself. Daikon is available at the farmers market, though I’m not sure if this is the right season for it.

Summer, tomatoes, basil and grilled chicken all seem to go together, don’t they? BASIL AND TOMATO STUFFED CHICKEN is another take on that combination. This makes four servings at a cost of about $4.70. Add some GARLIC CORN ON THE COB and MINT WATERMELON SALAD for a summery dinner at a tad under $6.00.

Seems like there have been a lot of recipes lately that call for cooking on a grill, and not everyone has one or knows how to use it. So this final recipe is cooked on the stove top instead. CHICKEN LAZONE has a rich buttery cream sauce that would be good over rice or noodles or something starchy like that. Instead, buy a big zucchini at the Farmers Market and grate it coarsely. You want pretty big pieces – bigger than grains of cooked rice – but not too big. Maybe about the size of a piece of macaroni cut in half lengthwise? Put the grated zucchini in a bowl, cover it, and nuke it for a couple of minutes. It should still have some bite to it. Serve that alongside the chicken to sop up the sauce and, if there isn’t enough sauce, add some butter. Add some color to the plate with some sliced tomatoes.

The CHICKEN LAZONE will cost about $3.40. You should be able to get an overgrown zucchini at the Farmers Market for $1.00. A pound of tomatoes on the vine is $1.49, which brings the total to $5.90. By the way, when I say an overgrown zucchini, I mean it. Not baseball bat size, but bigger than normal. They aren’t much good for slicing that way because the seeds are too big, but grated or julienned (cut into matchsticks) they’re fine. And the farmers are usually glad to get rid of them and price them cheap.

50 Cent Budget Breakfasts

This week’s STRAWBERRY & BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE DELUXE uses plain milk instead of yogurt. You could use yogurt if you wanted to but you might need to add a bit more sugar. For a special summer treat pour the smoothie into popsicle molds (or small paper cups), stick in popsicle sticks, and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours. Send the kids outside to eat them! This makes two smoothies of not quite 2 cups each, for a total cost of $1.00, or 50 cents each.

Enjoy!

Mary Anne

Sweet Potato and Bourbon Souffle

(from Super Foods by Dolores Riccio)

It seems that every Southern cook has a recipe for sweet potato pudding or pie in her repertoire. This is a reduced-fat version, and better yet, if you use low-cholesterol alternatives, is guilt-free. And—a big plus—sweet potatoes are a rich source of lung-protecting vitamin A. Serve this sweet soufflé as a dessert.

1 pound sweet potatoes (2 medium or 1 very large)

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon

1⁄4 teaspoon each ground ginger and salt

1/8 teaspoon allspice

2 tablespoons melted butter or low-cholesterol margarine

2 tablespoons bourbon

2 egg yolks plus enough milk to make 1⁄2 cup, or 1⁄2 cup prepared egg substitute

2 egg whites

Bake the potatoes at 375 degrees F. until quite soft. Peel and mash or puree them with the sugar, spices, and salt. Use a little of the butter to grease a 1.5 quart soufflé dish or casserole. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Blend the rest of the butter, the bourbon, the egg yolk and milk mixture (or egg substitute) into the potatoes, whipping to lighten. Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Fold them into the potato mixture and spoon the batter into the prepared dish. Bake for 45 minutes on the middle shelf, or until the top is browned and risen and the soufflé has shrunk slightly away from the ides of the dish. Serve immediately, with a dollop of lemon sherbet or frozen vanilla yogurt to melt on top. Makes 4 servings.

Don’t have a mixer? No problem. Borrow one from the Hub Tool Share Program. Ask any MHC staff for details.

Spicy Brown Rice Pudding with Dates

(from Super Foods by Dolores Riccio)

Spices and flavorings have their chemical effects, just as foods do. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla, for instance, are all stimulants. Allspice is a relaxant, however, as is milk, so you’ll come out about even with a dish of this spicy pudding.

2 cups cooked brown rice

1⁄2 cup chopped, pitted dates

3 eggs or 3⁄4 cup prepared egg substitute

1⁄2 cup sugar

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla

1⁄4 teaspoon each allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt

2 cups scalded milk (can be low-fat)

Fluff the rice to separate the grains and put it into a buttered 2-quart casserole. Stir in the dates. Put the casserole into a larger pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium-size bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, vanilla, and spices until the mixture is light and well-blended. Slowly pour in the hot milk while continuing to whisk. Stir the milk-egg mixture into the rice. Arrange the casserole and surrounding pan on the middle rack of the oven, and carefully pour boiling water into the larger pan to an inch from the top of the pan. (Don’t fill the pan with boiling water before it’s in the oven. You could get a nasty burn if it spills or splashes on you.) Bake the pudding until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. If you’ve used whole eggs, this will take from 45 minutes to 1 hour; if an egg substitute, it may take longer. Let the pudding cool until it’s just warm before serving. Serve with spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Banana Bread

(from a recipe at simplyrecipes.com)

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve. Makes one loaf.

Zucchini Pie

(Farm Journal’s Best-Ever Vegetable Recipes, 1984)

6 c sliced, halved, peeled zucchini

1/2 t salt

3/4 c sugar

1/4 c lemon juice

3 T quick-cooking tapioca

3/4 t cinnamon

3/4 allspice

3/4 t vanilla

Pastry for a two crust pie

1 T butter

Preheat oven to 425. (It must be preheated for this recipe.)

Place zucchini in a large saucepan and add salt. Add boiling water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, stir sugar, lemon juice, tapioca, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla together in a large bowl. Add drained zucchini and toss until zucchini is well coated.

Line a 9” pie pan with pastry. Spoon in zucchini mixture, then dot with butter. Top with second crust. Flute edge. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake another 30 minutes.

Note: A mandoline, which you can borrow from the Hub, would work great to slice the zucchini. A food processor, which you can also borrow from the Hub, would slice it too thin.

Basic Shortcake

(based on a recipe in Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 1968)

2 c flour

¼ c sugar

3 t baking powder

½ t salt

½ c butter

1 beaten egg (yes, it needs to be beaten)

2/3 c half and half (or milk)

Fruit (berries or peaches are traditional)

Whipping cream, whipped or not

Preheat oven to 450. (It needs to be preheated for this recipe – the shortcake needs to go into a hot oven and it needs to go into the oven as soon as the liquid is added to the dry ingredients.) Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or knife until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (You can do this with a food processor, too.) Combine egg and cream and add it all at once, stirring just enough to moisten. Spread dough in a greased 8x1.5 inch round baking dish (it needs to be shallow or it won’t cook properly), building up the sides slightly. Bake at 450 for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Split in two layers and remove top layer carefully (It’s likely to break into pieces; if it does, don’t worry. Just put the pieces back together as best you can after you add the fruit.) Butter bottom layer with soft butter. Spoon fruit (berries or peaches or other fruit) and cream on bottom layer, top with the second layer, add more fruit and cream on top of that. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

If you’re not going to be eating it all at once, either cut the round into smaller pieces or make individual shortcakes. 

Broiled Peaches or Apricots

(based on a recipe in The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, Thirteenth Edition, by Marion Cunningham)

Per person:

  1 peach or 2 apricots

  2 t butter

  2 t brown sugar

Wash the peaches or apricots, cut them in half and remove the pit. Place them in a shallow baking dish, cut side up. Dot each peach half with one teaspoon of butter and sprinkle with one teaspoon of brown sugar. (Use half a teaspoon of each per apricot half.) Broil until the sugar melts.

Sauteed Peaches or Apricots

(based on a recipe in The New Doubleday Cookbook, by Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna, 1975, revised 1985)

Per Person:

  1 peach or 2 apricots

  1 T butter

  Flour

Wash peaches or apricots, halve them and remove the stones. Pat dry with a paper towel. Heat butter in a large, heavy skillet over moderate heat for one minute. Dredge the peaches or apricots in the flour, then saute for 5 to 6 minutes, turning frequently, until lightly brown. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Broiled Peaches and Blueberries

(based on a recipe in The Fanny Farmer Cookbook, Thirteenth Edition, by Marion Cunningham)

Per person:

  1 peach or 2 apricots

  a few blueberries

  2 t butter

  2 t brown sugar

Wash the peaches or apricots, cut them in half and remove the pit. Place them in a shallow baking dish, cut side up. Fill the hollows with blueberries. Dot each peach half with one teaspoon of butter and sprinkle with one teaspoon of brown sugar. (Use half a teaspoon of each per apricot half.) Broil until the sugar melts.

Baked Peach Pancake

(based on a recipe in Healthy Cooking, June/July 2012)

2 c sliced peeled peaches

4 t sugar

1 t lemon juice

3 eggs

½ c flour

½ c whole milk

½ t salt

2 T butter

Nutmeg

Sour cream (optional)

Combine peaches, sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat eggs until fluffy. Add flour, milk and salt; beat until smooth. Place butter in a 10” ovenproof skillet and put skillet in 400 oven for 3 to 5 minutes or until the butter melts. Immediately pour the batter into the skillet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until risen and puffed. Fill with peaches; sprinkle with nutmeg. Serve immediately. Add sour cream if desired.

Individual Strawberry Meringues

A meringue is just whipped egg whites and sugar that’s been baked at a low temperature. You can make individual meringues or one big one that you cut in wedges to serve.

Meringue

(adapted from (mostly translated from) bbcgoodfood.com)

4 egg whites (save the yolks and use them in Hollandaise sauce or custard, or give them to the dog)

1-1/4 c sugar

1 t white vinegar

1 t cornstarch

1 t vanilla extract

Heat oven to 300. Using a pencil, trace around the outside of a cup or bowl about 4" in diameter on parchment paper or foil, being careful not to tear the paper or foil. Beat the eggs until they form soft peaks, then beat in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the meringue looks glossy. Beat in the vinegar, cornstarch and vanilla. Pile the meringue onto the circles and use the back of spoon to make them bowl shaped. Bake at 275 for about 45 minutes, then turn off the heat and let the meringues cool completely inside the oven. Leave them in the cold oven as long as you can. The dry air in there will make it keep better than being out in the more humid kitchen. (Don’t forget it’s in there, though, and turn on the oven! I find that fastening a note to the on/off switch for the oven is a good idea.)

Filling

1 lb strawberries

1/4 c sugar

Wash the strawberries and pull out any stems and leaves. Let them dry completely. Slice them if they’re large, or leave them whole if they are small. Add the sugar and let them sit for at least a few minutes. The sugar will make them juicy. Fill the meringues with the strawberries. A dollop of whipped cream on top is a nice touch, as is a fresh mint leaf or two.

Strawberry Pavlova

 A Pavlova is just a big “bowl” made of meringue and filled with a fruit and whipped cream mixture. You can use any kind of fruit you want. Just be sure it's something you want whipped cream with.

Pavlovas are traditionally served in a big bowl and cut into wedges to serve. You can make individual ones instead, by just making smaller bowls.

Meringue

4 egg whites (save the yolks for Hollandaise sauce or custard)

1-1/4 c sugar

1 t white vinegar

1 t cornstarch

1 t vanilla extract

Heat oven to 300. Using a pencil, trace around the outside of a dinner plate on parchment paper or foil, being careful not to tear the paper or foil. Beat the eggs until they form soft peaks, then beat in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the meringue looks glossy. Beat in the vinegar, cornstarch and vanilla. Spread the meringue inside the circle, creating a crater by making the sides a little higher than the middle. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and let the Pavlova cool completely inside the oven. Leave the Pavlova in the cold oven as long as you can. The dry air in there will make it keep better than being out in the more humid kitchen. (Don’t forget it’s in there, though, and turn on the oven! I find that fastening a note to the on/off switch for the oven is a good idea.)

Filling

1 lb strawberries

1-1/2 c whipping cream

1/4 c sugar

Wash the strawberries and pull out any stems and leaves. Let them dry completely. Slice them if they’re large, or leave them whole if they are small. Whip the cream and the sugar until thickened. (Start with the mixer on low and gradually increase or you’ll end up with cream all over the kitchen.) Fill the crater in the cooled Pavlova with the whipped cream and put the strawberries on top. Cut into wedges to serve.

Luscious Rice Pudding

Instructions:

5-1/3 cups milk
2/3 cup short grain brown rice
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons whipping cream or half & half
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Raisins (optional)

Directions:

Spray the slow cooker with non-stick spray. Combine milk, rice, and sugar. Pour into slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours, or until the rice is tender.

Mix together in a large bowl eggs, cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Temper the egg mixture by scooping 1/2 cup of the hot rice mixture into the mixing bowl and stirring well. Keep adding the hot rice mixture into the egg mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, until about half of it is used. Pour combined mixtures back into the slow cooker. Add 1/2-1 cup raisins if desired. Stir Well. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Stir well. Serve pudding hot, warm, or chilled. Garnish with whipped cream. Serves 8-10, generously.

Breakfast and Desserts

Baked Stuffed Apples

Bananas Foster

Budget Breakfasts

Chocolate Mud Cake

Luscious Rice Pudding

Spiced Cranberry (overnight) Oatmeal

Whipped Cream

(Part of my Thanksgiving Dinner for 12 for under $50)

I put about 2 cups of whipping cream in a medium-sized but deep bowl and whipped it with my mixer. When it was thick but not stiff, I added about a fourth of a cup of sugar and kept whipping it until it was as stiff as I wanted it.

Desserts and Sweets

Apricot Oatmeal Breakfast Cake

Baked Peach Pancake

Baked Stuffed Apples

Banana Bread

Bananas Foster

Basic Shortcake Recipe

Blueberry Muffins with Flaxseed Meal

Bread Pudding

Broiled Peaches and Blueberries

Broiled Peaches or Apricots

Chilled Peach and Nectarine Soup

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Chocolate Mud Cake

Coffee Can Ice Cream

Easy Pickled Watermelon Rind

Frozen Honeydew Smoothie

German Pancakes

Grilled Fruit

Homemade "Maple" Syrup

Homemade Yogurt

Honeydew Smoothie

Individual Strawberry Meringues

Luscious Rice Pudding

Orange Ice Pops

Orange Milk Shake

Peach Smoothie

Pie Crust

Pumpkin Pie

Red Hot Cucumbers

Rose Water Cookies

Sauteed Peaches or Apricots

Sesame Cookies (Benne Wafers)

Sparkin' Pie

Strawberry & Blueberry Smoothie Deluxe

Strawberry Pavlova

Watermeon Ice Pops

Watermelon Ices II

Watermelon Pickles

Whipped Cream

Wild Rose Petal Jelly

Zucchini Pie

Zucchini Spice Bread