Tonight we are having one of our very favorites. Pizza and Buffalo Wings!!! We absolutely love it and our week would not be complete without it. I started making this a weekly special because of how incredibly cheap and yummy it is. With chicken wings at .88/lb WHO can't afford it??
Here's my recipe:
Joni's Buffalo Wings
.5lb-1lb of chicken wings (I buy the whole wings and cut them myself...much cheaper)
Veggie oil for frying
3-4tbs any type of wing sauce (I buy the cheapest at the store...it's ALL good to me)
2tb butter
*NOTE: Louisiana hot sauce brand it pretty spicy, Hooters can be bought in mild but I don't suggest it, and Moore's is probably the mildest. These wings can also be made into Honey BBQ or Caribbean Jerk...be creative!!
Season wings with garlic salt & Seasoned salt(make sure wings are DRY...you do not want them wet and if you don't have garlic salt or SS, then don't run out and buy them. Use whatever you have.)
Drop in hot oil and fry about 10 minutes, or until SUPER crispy
Lay them on paper towels to allow the grease to drain off
Place wings in a large bowl. Melt butter in microwave. Add butter and wing sauce
Place a plate or aluminum foil over bowl and shake.
Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing
The trick to home-made wings is to make them super crispy. You don't want to bite down into a rubbery wing. I fry mine naked (without batter for those of you who went someplace else on that one), because it takes WAY too long to get out the flour, dredge, dredge again, and fry. PLUS, all the good wing places (No, not Hooters) use the naked technique.
"But Joni, my kids won't eat wings": Making kid friendly "Pizza and Wing night" is easy. Seriously...and you won't even feel like your cooking two different things, because you have the oven pre-heated anyway. GV also makes wonderful chicken nuggets ($3/bag). They taste just as good as Banquet or Tyson. PLEASE, whatever you do, don't spend $6 on those Tyson Any'Tizers. You might as well buy some boneless chicken and make the real deal yourself. Start shopping smart PEOPLE! Throw in some nuggets and make it fun for them. Make your own dipping sauces *gasp*. It CAN be done...cheaply and easily and it takes the bland nuggets to a whole new flavor level. Here are two of my favorites:
Honey Mustard
1/2 C Dijon Mustard
1/2 C Honey
2tbs Mayo
1 tbs Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together with a whisk in a small bowl
"But Joni, they make Honey Mustard in the bottle." Yes, they do...but do you know what you can do with Pre-made honey mustard? Eat it with nuggets or slap it on a salad. Do you know what you can do with the ingredients to make HM (ie. mayo, honey, lemon juice, etc)...lots. Keep up PEOPLE!
Creamy Parmesan Sauce
1/2 C mayo
1/4C grates Parmesan
2tsp Dijon mustard
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
These are just a SAMPLE of all the easy sauces there are out there. Be creative and come up with some on your own. Make them ahead of time and store them in the fridge. They keep just as long as the bottled versions if stored properly. Just PLEASE, don't spend money on pre-made sauces. Sometimes pre-made is your friend...sometimes...it's just not.
Now, then, I have a rant that I would love to go on about Honey v Grape Jelly...but I'll save that one for next time. Just don't think I'm crazy when you see the prices of the Honey at the grocery store...I'll show you later how you can cut that cost down a bit. (*psst* GV makes a delicious Honey!)
Let's talk about Pizza: I buy frozen. Why? Because I'm cooking wings...and I think since I put time into that, then I should get a break from the pizza. ALTHOUGH, if you want to get Martha Stewart on me, then I will add a super simple, super cheap home-made pizza recipe onto this post. The trick to frozen pizza is this....DO NOT spend more than 4.75 on a frozen pizza. I'M BEGGING YOU!! Here's why: I live right next door to a pizza joint that sells there pizzas for $5. Already cooked, already cut, all you have to do is eat it. While you may not have these enjoyments in your area, I can not sleep at night knowing your paying more than $4.75 for a pizza, that YOU have to use your electricity to cook. SO DON'T DO IT! It's really pointless. There are PLENTY of frozen pizza options now that are easy on your wallet.
I buy Great Value, which is Walmart's store brand. Seriously, I buy and talk about GV so much, that they should pay me. But it is hands down the best store brand out there right now. There are even some GV products that I like BETTER than the name brand (ranch dressing being one of them.) And if this girl, the queen of ranch dressing, will eat a store brand version, then anybody can. ;) I will save my Store Brand v Name Brand rant for another post...but it's coming. I promise. MOVING ON: GV sells a variety of great frozen pizzas for UNDER $4.00. What's even better, is we're talking about real pizza. Chewy crust, great toppings, the works. I have not found a "Supreme" flavor yet, but I'm confident that they make them. Our favorite: Bacon Blast (bacon, Canadian ham, and pepperoni...so yumm). But they also have just original cheese and pepperoni for those of you who are of a more simple nature.
"Home-Made" Pizza
1pkg dry pizza crust mix (.69cent at most stores)
4-5tbs pizza sauce (think STORE BRAND, I promise it's just as good!)
Toppings (get creative)
Mix crust to package directions. Cook to package directions. Top, cook, and eat.
Topping prices:
Pepperoni (about $2.00 for a big pack)- I strongly suggest you use ham instead (yes, deli ham will work) but if you have to have the Pepperoni, think of other ways, beside pizza that you can use them. The more recipes you use them in, the more your getting for your money.
Bell Pepper (1.00 each)-You'll only need 1.
Black Olives (about 1.00 a can)- definitely go CAN on this one.
Mushrooms (1.00/pound)-if your buying a POUND of mushrooms, then you should just stop reading this blog. ;)
Bacon (about $3)-who doesn't have bacon in the house...and there are so many different things to do with it.
Cheese (about $2 per bag)-again think store brand!
There are so much other things you can add also, just remember, when you buy these items, think of WHERE ELSE you can use them. I very rarely buy one use items. Also, raid your fridge and pantry BEFORE you go to the store. I did this the other day and didn't have to buy one single thing for the pizza.
Tips:
Here is a great video of how to cut wings yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnahgARLdsU
I like to buy them un-cut because like I said earlier, they are cheaper. Don't pay someone to do labor for you, especially when it's this simple.
Before taking your wings out of the oil, line whatever bowl you intend to "shake" them in with paper towels, then let the wings rest there to blot off the excess oil...when your ready to "shake", remove paper towels. This way your only using one bowl for both tasks.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
7/20 deals and recipes
So far this week, I have managed to cook using most ingredients that I find on sale. It's nice to be able to sit down and eat a great meal for less than $2!! And that is what this blog is going to be about. Not only how to scout out sales (which most of us already know how to do) but how to use those odds and ends that you find on sale and turn them into meals for the fam. NOTE: I am not a gourmet cook, nor or these recipes "fancy"...but this is what I feed my household (which only include me and the Hubbs, because little one is not eating "adult" food yet).
I use coupons...sometimes...I mostly save money with household products, makeup, and toiletries with my coupons...so don't expect this to be some great and wonderful coupon blog, because it isn't. I just have a knack for turning a pantry of nothing-ness into a meal. ;)
On sale this week:
Cream of Mushroom soup: .69 a can (was 1.29 a can...so I bout like 4)
Rice: 1.00 a bag (was 1.45 a bag, I bought one because I already had some in the cabinet)
Instant mashed potatoes: 1.00 a bag (was 1.60 a bag, I bought two different flavors)
Boneless skinless chicken breast: BOGO (I paid $10 for both bags...these are the ones found in the frozen section and are usually $7 a bag)
Spaghetti sauce: .80 a can (was .99 a can, I bought two)
Sour Cream: 1.00 a container (was 1.89, I bought one)
Breakdown: I'm getting 4 uses out of the Cream of Mushroom soup, 4 uses out of the bag of rice, 2 uses out of the mashed potatoes, 6 uses out of the chicken, 2 uses out of the spaghetti sauce, 4 uses out of the sour cream
Soup: .69/use
Rice: .25/use
Mashed potatoes: 1.00/use
Chicken: 1.67/use
Spaghetti Sauce: .80/use
Sour Cream: .47/use
Along with the help of a few other ingredients (which I buy store brand mostly, and will explain those later) here are a couple of meal ideas that I came up with. I hope you guys enjoy!
Chicken Stroganoff
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 can cream of mushroom soup + 1 can of water
1 packet Ranch dressing mix (dry packet)
1c rice
Bake or pan sear chicken breasts until done, cut into bite sized pieces ( I seasoned mine with salt and garlic salt)
Mix together soup, water, and ranch mix until combined and bring to a simmer.
Add chicken and cook 3 minutes
Serve over rice
Serves 4
Total: .90/serving
Revised Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
2 Tbs sour cream
2 Tbs plain bread crumbs
Boil chicken until done, cut into bite sized pieces
Mix chicken, soup, and sour cream
Place in casserole dish and top with bread crumbs
Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly (about 15-20 min)
Serve with rice or pasta
Serves 4
Total: .83/serving
NOTE: This recipe is called "revised" because I was out of Poppy seeds and refused to buy anymore because of how expensive they are...you really can't mess this recipe up.
Chicken Spaghetti
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 can spaghetti sauce
.5lb thin spaghetti noodles
1tbs butter
Bake or pan sear chicken until done (I season with salt and garlic salt)
Boil noodles until al dente
Pour spaghetti sauce into skillet, add chicken, and butter. Cook until bubbly.
serve over pasta and with garlic bread
Serves 4
Total (including garlic bread): .79/serving
I PROMISE this in not ALL I feed The Hubbs...LOL! But I do manage to cook several of these type of meals weekly so that I don't have to worry so much about my other nights. Since I've been doing this I have been much less stressed about my food budget and I find that we have leftover money at the end of the month.
My Sales Tips:
Get into the habit of checking your weekly sales papers. I check EVERY store, not just the ones I frequent.
Take full advantage of BOGO offers...but make sure your not getting scammed. I always bring my calculator along with me.
Make sure you don't have a coupon stashed somewhere for an item that might be on sale that week. I plan all my trips out in advance. And don't forget that some stores will double a coupon!
My Cooking Tips:
I rarely use pepper to season my food with...remember, Salt and Pepper are not married...think of them as cousins who only visit each other once in a while.
I hate onions, but I love the flavor they give to food. When using store bought spaghetti sauce, I pop a small shallot in my mini food processor until it's pasty and saute it in the skillet before adding the sauce. It melts the texture down and your only left with the flavor.
I use coupons...sometimes...I mostly save money with household products, makeup, and toiletries with my coupons...so don't expect this to be some great and wonderful coupon blog, because it isn't. I just have a knack for turning a pantry of nothing-ness into a meal. ;)
On sale this week:
Cream of Mushroom soup: .69 a can (was 1.29 a can...so I bout like 4)
Rice: 1.00 a bag (was 1.45 a bag, I bought one because I already had some in the cabinet)
Instant mashed potatoes: 1.00 a bag (was 1.60 a bag, I bought two different flavors)
Boneless skinless chicken breast: BOGO (I paid $10 for both bags...these are the ones found in the frozen section and are usually $7 a bag)
Spaghetti sauce: .80 a can (was .99 a can, I bought two)
Sour Cream: 1.00 a container (was 1.89, I bought one)
Breakdown: I'm getting 4 uses out of the Cream of Mushroom soup, 4 uses out of the bag of rice, 2 uses out of the mashed potatoes, 6 uses out of the chicken, 2 uses out of the spaghetti sauce, 4 uses out of the sour cream
Soup: .69/use
Rice: .25/use
Mashed potatoes: 1.00/use
Chicken: 1.67/use
Spaghetti Sauce: .80/use
Sour Cream: .47/use
Along with the help of a few other ingredients (which I buy store brand mostly, and will explain those later) here are a couple of meal ideas that I came up with. I hope you guys enjoy!
Chicken Stroganoff
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 can cream of mushroom soup + 1 can of water
1 packet Ranch dressing mix (dry packet)
1c rice
Bake or pan sear chicken breasts until done, cut into bite sized pieces ( I seasoned mine with salt and garlic salt)
Mix together soup, water, and ranch mix until combined and bring to a simmer.
Add chicken and cook 3 minutes
Serve over rice
Serves 4
Total: .90/serving
Revised Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
2 Tbs sour cream
2 Tbs plain bread crumbs
Boil chicken until done, cut into bite sized pieces
Mix chicken, soup, and sour cream
Place in casserole dish and top with bread crumbs
Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly (about 15-20 min)
Serve with rice or pasta
Serves 4
Total: .83/serving
NOTE: This recipe is called "revised" because I was out of Poppy seeds and refused to buy anymore because of how expensive they are...you really can't mess this recipe up.
Chicken Spaghetti
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 can spaghetti sauce
.5lb thin spaghetti noodles
1tbs butter
Bake or pan sear chicken until done (I season with salt and garlic salt)
Boil noodles until al dente
Pour spaghetti sauce into skillet, add chicken, and butter. Cook until bubbly.
serve over pasta and with garlic bread
Serves 4
Total (including garlic bread): .79/serving
I PROMISE this in not ALL I feed The Hubbs...LOL! But I do manage to cook several of these type of meals weekly so that I don't have to worry so much about my other nights. Since I've been doing this I have been much less stressed about my food budget and I find that we have leftover money at the end of the month.
My Sales Tips:
Get into the habit of checking your weekly sales papers. I check EVERY store, not just the ones I frequent.
Take full advantage of BOGO offers...but make sure your not getting scammed. I always bring my calculator along with me.
Make sure you don't have a coupon stashed somewhere for an item that might be on sale that week. I plan all my trips out in advance. And don't forget that some stores will double a coupon!
My Cooking Tips:
I rarely use pepper to season my food with...remember, Salt and Pepper are not married...think of them as cousins who only visit each other once in a while.
I hate onions, but I love the flavor they give to food. When using store bought spaghetti sauce, I pop a small shallot in my mini food processor until it's pasty and saute it in the skillet before adding the sauce. It melts the texture down and your only left with the flavor.
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