The Crafty Connoisseur: January 2013

Hey all. So I have been searching for some budget dinners that are family friendly. All of these recipes could be altered with the type of meats or veggies your prefer. Just realize the price per serving may go up or down depending on the things you change. Happy Cooking!!

Courtesy of Family.Com

EASY CALZONE ROLLS~$1.10 per serving(2 slices)

Ingredients

2 loafs frozen bread dough, thawed
1/2 pound sliced ham
1/2 pound sliced hard salami
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup jarred marinara sauce

Directions

Roll each loaf of dough into a rectangle about 8 inches by 12 inches.
Layer ham and salami down the center of each rolled loaf lengthwise.
Top meats with 1 cup shredded mozzarella for each roll.
Fold short ends of each loaf in about 1/2 inch and seal. Roll from the long sides and pinch well to seal the entire loaf. You should have 2 long rolls.
Bake, seam side down on a greased baking sheet in a 375 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Cut each roll into 8 slices and serve with marinara for dipping.

Courtesy of Family.Com

CHICKEN RAVIOLI SOUP~$1.50 per serving

Hands-On Time: 5 minutes

Ready In: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

8 cups chicken stock or broth

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced celery

2 cups refrigerated mini cheese-stuffed ravioli

1 cup cooked chicken - diced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat chicken stock in a soup pot to boiling; reduce heat and add carrot and celery.
Simmer until vegetables are soft - about 20 minutes.
Add ravioli and cook according to package directions -- usually about a 5 minute simmer.
Stir in cooked chicken, salt and pepper as desired and serve.

Courtesy of Family.com

FRIED RICE WITH CHICKEN~$1.50 per serving

Hands-On Time: 10 minutes

Ready In: 10

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 cups cold cooked rice

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

2 cups cooked and cubed chicken (optional)

2 cups cooked veggies (optional)

2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola

Directions

Heat a wok or large non-stick skillet over high heat.
When oil starts to "shimmer", turn the heat to medium-high.
If using garlic and/or green onions add to oil now and stir.
Add chicken and vegetables if using and mix well.
Quickly add rice and continue to stir until rice is separated and coated with oil or mixed evenly with chicken and veggies.
Sprinkle soy sauce over rice and stir until distributed well throughout rice.

*Ingredient Tips

Almost any veggie can be used -- we like frozen green peas or snow peas and julienned carrots. Beef, pork or shrimp are all good protein ideas. Make sure they are bite sized pieces and are cooked well before adding. Garlic is optional because it is not the norm for fried rice. I find it lends a delicious depth to the finished dish. Freshly grated ginger and a bit of sesame oil added with the neutral oil are nice additions.

Courtesy of MyRecipes.com

SPEEDY LASAGNA

Ingredient

Preparation

1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed

1 (26-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce with onions and roasted garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 no-cook lasagna noodles
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Crumble sausage into a plastic colander; place over a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH 1 minute, and stir. Microwave at HIGH 3 to 3 1/2 minutes more, stirring every 30 seconds, or until sausage is done and no longer pink. Drain well on paper towels. Discard drippings. Rinse and wipe bowl clean.
Stir together sausage, spaghetti sauce, basil, and pepper in large bowl.
Spread one-third sausage mixture in bottom of a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch microwave-safe baking dish; top with 3 noodles, 1 cup ricotta cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once.
Top evenly with remaining sausage mixture and grated Parmesan cheese. Cover with double-thickness plastic wrap, and microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) 30 to 35 minutes. Using an oven mitt, carefully lift one corner of plastic wrap to allow steam to escape, and let stand in microwave 5 minutes before serving.

Courtesy of MyRecipes.com

Ingredients

Preparation1/2 (16-oz.) package bow tie pasta
1/2 pound bacon $
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2/3 cup milk $
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Keep warm.
2. Cook bacon according to package directions; drain well, and crumble.
3. Beat cream cheese, butter, and Italian seasoning in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl at low speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add milk, beating until mixture is smooth.
4. Microwave cream cheese mixture at HIGH 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, whisking every 30 seconds. Pour cream cheese mixture over warm pasta, tossing to coat. Top with crumbled bacon and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Lightened Bacon Bow Tie Pasta: Substitute reduced-fat or turkey bacon, 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, and 2% reduced-fat milk. Proceed as directed.

So here is my attempt at Homemade Dish Soap..There are things I like about it and don't like about it. Basically I love that it doesn't smell bad LOL I also love that it cuts grease well. The downfall I have with it is I left out the glycerin and noticed my hands felt a little dry afterwards. If you are worried about this, definitely add the glycerin. So here it is:

Homemade Dish Soap

1/4 cup soap flakes or soap shavings, I used Lava because it is a good grease fighter

2 cups water

1-2 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar

or lemon juice, I used vinegar cause I'm not a huge fan of lemon

1 Tablespoon glycerin (optional, helps keep hands from drying out or chapping)

So first I took a butter knife(i don't own a grater..i know i know crazy huh) and shaved my bar of soap onto a plate and than poured it into my measuring cup. I dumped this into my pan. Than I added 2 cups of warm water. You will want to heat the soap and water until the soap melts completely but do not let it boil. Stir every now and than to check to see if the soap has melted.

Once all the soap is melted turn the burner off and as it cools you can add your vinegar or lemon juice and/or glycerin. Give it a good stir and than let it cool completely.

You can also add essential oils if you want it to smell like a certain scent..I just want mine to wash LOL

I poured mine into a bottle I had left over from some name brand dish soap I had. You can use any type of dispenser you like.

Before After

So as you can see I made Sloppy Joe's for lunch which is by far greasy and also has ketchup which tomato can be hard to clean as well. I think it did pretty darn good if I do say so myself :) I figure the cost of this dish soap is less than $.50 to make each time.

So you may freak out once you pour your mixture into water. If you have never made your own homemade cleaning products before you will notice there is a LACK OF BUBBLES. This does not mean it won't clean. Bubbles do not = CLEAN :)

The Crafty Connoisseur

Friday, January 11, 2013