Stoney's Crew: Monday's Menu & Meatloaf

Well it is that day of the week once again when I put pen to paper and write down the menu for the week. It is also Monday and Stoney likes Meatloaf on Mondays...yep, he says it makes him bowl better. I don't know about that, but I am going to give you a recipe for a tasty rendition of meatloaf that includes veggies in its mixture. It is a great way to have your kids get extra servings of vegetables and the carrots flavor the meatloaf just the right amount. I have also used this recipe for meatballs.

Stoney's Crew Meatloaf
1 pound Ground Beef
2 carrots ground
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 eggs

I use homemade croutons and grind them in the food processor for the breadcrumbs. Enough to get about a cup of crumbs. I then grind the carrots and onion in the food processor using the same blade. Add to ground beef. Add 2 eggs and mix thoroughly. Salt & Pepper to taste. Sometimes if I have other veggies that need to be used (green peppers, celery, eggplant, etc.) I will throw that in the food processor and add to the mix. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

This makes 1 family size meatloaf. Because it is just Stoney & me here at the lab these days, I divide the meatloaf in 2 and wrap and freeze the other half for another meal in a week or two.

Tonight I also baked potatoes with the meatloaf. Two potatoes for our meal plus 3 more for use in recipes later in the week. While the oven is on, making more than just a couple of potatoes is an easy way to prep for future meals. Baking extra potatoes to make Potato Salad are fabulous! Hey, if the oven is on and not full, you might as well take advantage of the open space!

I will be making a Fritata on Wednesday using the extra baked potatoes for a meatless meal option. I'll report the results on Thursday.

Here is the game plan for the week

Monday, February 22: Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday, February 23: Buffet de Lefto-Vairs, Salad
Wednesday, February 24: Fritata, Salad
Thursday, February 25: Scalped Taters w/Ham (didn't make Saturday), Salad
Friday, February 26: ??? Mystery night--in case The Kid comes home
Saturday, February 27: Vancouver Olympics Surprise, Salad
Sunday, February 28: Chicken & Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

More menu ideas can be found at orgjunkie.com. Have you checked out "The Frugal Girls" yet. I have also become a fan on Facebook. It is a fun way to keep up with free offers, coupons, and bargain pricing.

Is anyone else beginning to get addicted to the Curling competition in the Olympics? I firmly believe that I may actually fully understand the premise of the game by the 2012 games...I can imagine it now...a Curling Channel on TV!

Stoney's Crew: Oriental Chicken Salad

Have you been watching the Olympics? I certainly hope so, they have been fantastic. Lots of medals and lots of spell-binding moments. Doesn't that half pipe look like fun? or should I say "EPIC" to quote on of the boarders!

As promised, the Stoney's Lab attempted the Oriental Chicken Salad, a favorite from Applebee's. The recipe I used was from recipezaar.com (#19253). I did, of course, make some edits on the chicken prep.

The Salad
Lettuce, shredded
Red Cabbage, shredded
Roasted Almond Pieces (from bulk food store)
Chow Mein Noodles
Chopped Green Onion
Diced Yellow Pepper (I happened to score 3 for 50 cents in the produce clearance section)
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (Feta would have been good too.)
Grilled Diced Chicken

Rather than frying breaded chicken breasts, I opted for grilling them. I did create my own marinade that worked well. For 2 (half size) chicken breasts, I used 1-1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of dried minced onion, 1/8 teaspoon of sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar. I put in a ZipLock with the chicken and marinated in the fridge about 2-1/2 hours. I then grilled (it is winter, so it was in a skillet this time.) It was tasty!

The Salad Dressing Recipe:
3 tablespoons Honey
1-1/2 tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard
1/8 teaspoon Sesame Oil

Overall Stoney's Crew Rating
Stoney and I both tasted the salad dressing on a piece of lettuce before putting on our salads. Yep, we are cautious. We did this because the dressing did not look as white as the salad dressing in the restaurant and when I was going through the lists of ingredients, the mustard was not anticipated by me, because it is not a flavor I taste in the restaurant.

We both like Honey Mustard Dressing but we were disappointed in this recipe of it. I gave it a pass I went with Stoney's Crew Simply The Best Salad Dressing and Stoney opted out of the program to Ranch Dressing.

The Salad basics and the Chicken prepped this way were both great. Cabbage is an interesting foil for the normal lettuce and I would make that combo again, especially with the chicken...I cannot wait until this spring when the grill will no longer be covered by snow! It will be a great evening salad meal.

This does mean tho, I am still on the hunt for the salad dressing recipe!

Stoney's Crew: Tortellini Al Forno

The Stoney's Crew Italian sauce I make for Tortellini can also be used for other pastas such as shells (like Casa's Con Quatro Formaggi) or vermicelli (wide spaghetti noodles.) We just happen to like Tortellini for a special treat and it reminds us of a fabulous dish at Papa Vino's. You can buy premade Tortellini in the dairy section of the grocery, but I have discovered that in our local Wal-Mart frozen food section (look for the sign PASTA) bags frozen for about 1/2 the price...so you know where I pick it up. A bag of the frozen, says it serves 5. Since the sauce is so rich, we can usually get at least 6. I see no reason why you couldn't use the frozen cheese ravioli for this as well.
In a lot of ways, this is a "when you see the whites of their eyes" recipe. Organization is key. Have the side salads all made up and in the fridge ready to go. Before beginning the first step in the sauce pan set a pot of water on another burner and begin heating. (I cover and turn to high.)

In your skillet, pour a trip (or 2) around the pan of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add 2 tablespoons butter, 3 (at least) cloves of minced garlic and lightly begin a saute.

Add 8 oz of sliced fresh mushrooms to the pot. Let saute lightly. When the mushrooms are cooked you can add a sprinkle of pepper. Don't add salt, it will dry out the mushrooms.

Make a roux...I do this by tipping my skillet up on the burner cover behind the burner I am working on and pushing all of the mushrooms and garlic to the top. In this instance I used 3 tablespoons of butter and about 3 tablespoons of flour over the heat. Using a whisk, work the flour and butter together to cook the flour (it will be very lightly golden brown in color.)

Now add 2 cups cream, half and half, or milk. You could mix half cream and half skim milk too, that works. On low heat, mix together the roux, cream, and mushrooms.

Simmer until reduced to the consistency that it will coat the back of a spoon. Sprinkle in about 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (Just enough to "track a rabbit".)

Add about 2 cups your favorite shredded cheese. For this, I have used Mozzarella, "Italian Blend" and even cheddar. Whatever I have that was on sale that week, but to keep it a "white cheese sauce" use Mozzarella or "Italian Blend". Stirring with your whisk, add about 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and for a bit of tang I add about 2 tablespoons of crumbled Feta (Feta is optional, I always have because we like it on our salads.)

Your sauce is now basically ready, turn to low and keep an eye on it. When you "see the whites of their eyes" (actually it is when I hear the garage door opening signaling that Stoney is home) put the pasta of your choice (in this case Tortellini) into the boiling water and cook no longer than 5 minutes. (5 minutes is usually "al dente," cooking pasta longer doubles the glycemic index--making it the same as eating sugar to your body)

If your sauce starts to get too "stiff" you can ladle in some of the hot water from your pasta pot to thin it back down. This can be repeated as needed. When the pasta is ready drain and add to the sauce.

You have just created a magnifique pasta dish that is ready to serve.

Options
Instead of mushrooms, you could brown ground sausage (whatever flavor you like); chicken (cubed), or green, red, and/or yellow peppers, garden veggies such as broccoli, zucchini and squash would work too.

The salad?
In true Papa Vino form, use the Simply the Best Salad Dressing, 1/8 a head of lettuce per serving, along with other fresh vegetables of your choice, such as tomatoes, onion, peppers, olives, and 2 teaspoons of Feta cheese and homemade croutons. The croutons are nothing more than stale bread that I have cubed and baked in the oven until toasted. (Added benefit to using stale bread to make croutons? it warms up the kitchen!) I don't bother seasoning the croutons...I zing them through the food processor to make meatloaf, meatballs, or other recipes. The toasted flavor adds a nice nutty background and it is cheaper than buying breadcrumbs. I store them in a ZipLock bag.

Special Occasion? Don't forget to have warm rolls, bread sticks or garlic bread!

Stoney's Crew: The Week of To Do's and To Don'ts!

This week is a solid week of busy, and I am feelin' the need for spring weather...this morning I felt someone staring at me and when I looked out the window a cardinal was looking in at me...I could have sworn he said he was tired of the snow too, but he was more likely telling me that the bird feeder was empty!

On Tuesday, I will be providing a recipe and instructions on making Tortellini Al Forno. Since Lent starts this week, I thought perhaps some of you would be interested in a meatless recipe for the season, and please don't chide me, I know it is not the lowest fat option out there, but it tastes soooo much like Casa's Con Quatro Formagi or Papa Vino's Tri-Color Tortellini that it is hard to say no. Thursday in the lab I will be making Oriental Chicken Salad that is supposed to taste just like Applebee's I will report back results on Friday.

On to the tasks at hand...it's that time of the week...drum roll please! Menu Plan Monday.

Here at Stoney's Crew we will be dining on:
Monday, 2/15: Buffet du Lefto Vair! (This happens when you make a big pan of Lasagna for your sweetheart and yes, I said that outloud with a cheezy faux French accent.)
Fat Tuesday, 2/16: Beef Enchiladas, Salad
Ash Wednesday, 2/17: Mac & Cheese, Green Beans, Salad
Thursday, 2/18: Oriental Chicken Salad (I am trying for something like Applebee's)
Friday, 2/19: Tortellini Al Forno (I am going to post this recipe on Tuesday, since it is a meatless dish.) and Salad
Saturday, 2/20: Scalloped Potatoes (Scalped Taters) w/Ham or Smoked Sausage TBD, Salad
Sunday, 2/21: Homemade Pizza, unless I get a better offer?

Although it seems like a light week in the Stoney's Crew Lab, I will be busy making and freezing another chicken and stock and have planned an adventure or two if the weather cooperates.

Stoney's Crew: The Price of a Chicken in Every Pot!

Well, I have run the numbers every which way I can think of and still cannot figure out how to come up with the costs of the stock made from that bird...so I'll call it FREE as a by-product of my original quest of chicken.

Yield and Cost:
This is what I have come up with as the yield and the costs of that bird:
13 cups of Chicken meat
4 quarts of stock

Broken down, that is 50 cents per cup of chicken or $1.00 for most recipes. The cost of a 10-12 oz can of chicken meat is about $2.50, so I believe I saved $1.50 for each recipe.

The cost per servings:

$6.50 divided by 34 (including noodles without meat meal) 19 cents a serving.

Exclude the Noodles meatless meal and it is 22 cents per serving.

And, no, that does not include the ingredients to make the meals or the meals themselves. But I have to say...that bird was cheaper per recipe than a can of tuna would have been!

This is the best per total meal cost (includes ingredients, side salad at 25 cents and a veggie or starch in most cases) that I could come up with. I am not an accountant folks, so bear with me!

Plain Chicken with salad, vegetable & potato (round 1) 90 cents per serving
Enchiladas with salad and rice $1.07 per serving
Subs with salad and green beans $1.25 per serving
Chicken Pizza (The FLOP!) was a jaw dropping $2.88 waste per serving (saw that one coming a mile away!)
Chicken Noodle Casserole served with a side salad was $1.88 per serving
Egg Rolls with Fried Rice was 90 cents per serving
White Chicken Chili with side salad was $1.15 per serving
The healing Chicken and Noodles (used stock only was) less than 40 cents to make the Noodles from scratch if you call the stock free.

There you have it. My number crunching efforts...I snagged another chicken this week for 98 cents a pound, slightly higher initial investment, but if I get the minimum 13 cups of meat then I am still ahead with a cost per cup of 55 cents a cup! Don't worry, this week's chicken is being divided like normal in 2 cup portions and put in the freezer for retreval as needed...although I am trying to convince myself to make a huge batch of egg rolls and stash soooo, we will have to see what I decide in the morning of the bone pickin'!

BTW, I used the last of the Cream of Mushroom Soup (1 pint) last night for Swiss Steak Recipe...oh, and yeah it was good!

Stoney's Crew: Egg Rolls & Fried Rice!

I have used the last little bit of chicken from last week's adventure (approximately 2 cups) I still have a quart (+ or -) and a pint of Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup yet, but I have now used the last of the meat! How you ask? Egg Rolls! Sometimes I would have used the chicken in the Fried Rice, but this way you get a 2 fer!


Stoney's Crew Egg Rolls
2 cups cooked chicken (shredded or diced)
2 stalks of celery diced
1 small onion finely diced
1/2 can water chestnut (drained) chopped
Egg Roll Wrappers (usually found in the produce section, I used the large size)
3 eggs
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix the chicken, celery, onion, water chestnut and 2-1/2 eggs in a bowl...Reserve the 1/2 egg for the seal on the wrap.

Place mixture on egg roll wrapper and...

Wrap! Yes, I used the same wrapping style for the Enchiladas I made last week.

Nine Egg Rolls all in a row! (I could have gotten 10, if I had planned ahead!)

Bring small amount of vegetable oil (enough to be 1/2 up the egg rolls while cooking) in a pan up to high heat. You could use a Fry Daddy or similar fryer if you have one.

Fry until just golden brown. Place on clean cookie sheet and finish cooking and keep warm in warm oven. I have baked in warm oven; but the color isn't as pretty!

Some folks will add other veggies (shredded carrots, shredded cabbage and such), but this seems to be the way that we like them best here at Stoney's Crew.

I have made these ahead and frozen by using a full chicken's(s') meat--one of the fastest ways to do this for a party is to buy plain Rotissere Chickens from your local deli. It will cut down on your prep time if you are in a hurry. Extra Egg Roll Wrappers? Fill them with Taco Meat & shredded cheese and fry as above. You can also make a Crab Ragoon with the wrappers. YUM!

Stoney's Crew Fried Rice
2-3 cups of cooked rice
5 eggs beaten
1 cup diced ham (use leftovers when you can!)
Chopped green onion
Soy Sauce to taste

Scramble eggs in lightly oiled skillet (with pepper if desired--the ham and soy sauce will have a lot of salt, so I don't add any here). Use a whisk to make them fluffy while cooking. Add ham, green onion. Move to one side of skillet. In the other half of skillet add just a bit of oil and spoon plain rice into corner, stir to heat it through.

Once the rice is "fried" mix with the ingredients on the other side of the skillet. Add soy sauce to taste. Fried Rice is ready!

If you want you could add a cup of frozen peas and/or carrots to the ham, egg, onion mixture and warm through. Some also like to add a can of thoroughly rinsed Chinese vegetables. Stoney's Crew likes it best as above. This can easily be doubled or tripled and frozen for future use.

Stoney's Crew Perfect Rice Every Time
1-1/3 cup White Unconverted Rice
Rinse rice in a strainer with cold water thoroughly
Place rice in a 2 quart sauce pan add 2-1/3 cup COLD water
Bring to BOIL; lower heat to simmer and cover for 20 minutes.
Let the rice stand without heat for an additional 20 minutes and when you lift the lid you will have perfect rice every time! Rice can be refrigerated or used immediately.

I now have a microwave rice cooker that I use; but the premise is the same. Rinse, (ratio for mine is 2 cups rice, 4 cups cold water) cook 20 minutes, let sit 20 minutes.

Chicken Meal Count: +5 (2 each) bringing the total to 34 meals! The remainder stock will be used shortly; but I am not sure that it will make a full meal to add to this count. The Cream of Mushroom Soup I am thinking of using in Friday's meal, so stay tuned. Tomorrow, I will provide the cost breakdowns for each meal from this bird and you will be surprised!

Visit Balancing Beauty & Bedlam for Tasty Tuesday's Recipes!

Stoney's Crew: Post Super Bowl Leftovers

Who says that leftovers have to appear the same way in the repeat? Over the weekend I made a huge batch of Spanish Sloppy Joe at Stoney's Crew. Stoney and The Kid each ate 3 huge sandwiches on Saturday--and we are talking HUGE! That aside, there were some leftovers from the batch...according to Stoney, "Enough for a couple more sandwiches." His size sandwich? Yes. So what do I do with that and the leftover cheese plate? Let's make the sauce first and then find out! (Oh, and yeah, the buns are all gone!)

Spanish Sloppy Joe
2# Ground beef, browned and drained
2 large onions chopped
1 teaspon salt
2-1/2 cups water
2-1/2 cups Tomato Sauce
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder (at least, we like a bit more!)
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Chop onion and mix with ground beef. Add remaining ingredients, simmer for 3 hours on top of stove. Stir often. (You could also use the Crock Pot.)

This is amazing as a sandwich on its own or on a hot dog to make Spanish Hot Dogs (Coney Island Dogs) like at the root beer stand.

Leftovers, Only Different!

On Monday, I used a can of Refigerator Biscuits and flattened into a muffin tins (1 each muffin cup) and spooned in a couple of spoonsful of leftover Sloppy Joe, topped with a cube of leftover cheese tray (today's was Farmer's Cheese) and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Using this method also works for Taco seasoned meat (when you realize you don't have any shells or wraps); or shredded leftover roast beef with BBQ sauce; use your imagination. Yes, you could use shredded cheese, I just had that cheese tray that needed used up! A serving is 2 biscuits. (The rest work great in lunches!)

Hint: If you have 12 muffin cups and only 8 or 10 biscuits, but 2 tablespoons of water into the empty cups, this helps the pan bake more evenly.

You can do this with Taco flavored meat (when you discover you are out of taco shells or wraps) and shredded leftover roast beef with BBQ sauce! Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese. Use your imagination!

Chicken Challenge!
I am working on the math (a story problem on steriods, if ever there was one!) and plan to share the final results with you later this week.

Tuesday's Tip!
There are many, many sites online to get coupons and money-saving tips. One of my favorites is The Frugal Girls. Their site is simple and easy to link for online coupons. Check it out!