Wassail

Wassail

One of my all-time favorite winter drinks. I've made Wassail one way for SO MANY YEARS. That recipe found HERE, is great and long lasting but FULL of sugar.

However, I need something healthier -especially since the name Wassail comes from the words
Waes Hael
(one historical version anyway found here)
OR
Ves Heil Hal
(another historical link here)

That said BOTH mean Good Health.

So I found 4 similar recipes that had varying amounts and differing spices.

Putting them together I created two amazing recipes - both the same taste but for differing budgets.

Wassail

2 cups fresh cranberries

2 sliced oranges
2 sliced lemons
1 qt Apple juice or cider
2 C Cranberry juice

1 qt Orange juice

1 tsp Cinnamon
3 Cinnamon sticks
2 tsp whole cloves
2-inch fresh sliced ginger
1 tsp Allspice

2 C Pineapple juice

1 cracked whole nutmeg

Add all ingredients into either a crockpot/slow cooker or large stock pot on low for several hours to allow the spices to flavor fully.

~~~~~

Now for the budget-friendly version of the above recipe, you can buy frozen concentrate of apple, orange, pineapple & cranberry juice.
One qt of apple cider was almost 6.00 yet a frozen 100% apple juice was 1.20.
I used 2 frozen apple concentrate, 2 frozen orange concentrate, 1 pineapple & 1 cranberry then added almost 2 quarts of water and the rest of the ingredients.

Easter Crockpot Ham

This year the hubby wanted a very simple meal with just us. This is opposite of how we normally spend holidays.

In fact last year for Easter I had my dad and stepmother, Shayne, Sara & Sue. After the dinner Lori came by as well.

Alright so I am the person who likes to make everything BIG. I LOVE to cook big, eat big, party large and just surround myself with friends and family.

I also normally have a HUGE meal.

Due to the smallness (just us four) I downsized my menu. 

I also get the irony of serving ham on Easter. We celebrate the life and resurrection of a Jew (Jesus) with ham... but since I can't afford a full Passover meal or Lamb at all... we did ham.

I found this trick on Pinterest a few years ago and will NEVER EVER make Ham any other way!

This makes it so tender and juicy, it literally falls off the bone. Hubby didn't have use the knife once!

Crockpot Rootbeer Ham

Ham

1 C. Rootbeer

Add items to crock pot, cook on low for a few hours (4-6 hours). Cover with tinfoil if your crock pot lid doesn't fit. Every hour pour the juice/soda over the top of the ham to keep the top moist. If your ham came with a glaze packet, instead of adding water to it, use the extra juice from the ham.

I served the ham with a glaze as well as scalloped potatoes and broccoli. While it was a small meal for a holiday it was delicious!

Saucy Apricot Chicken ~ Slow Cooker

Saucy Apricot Chicken

4-6 boneless skinless Chicken breast

1 (12oz-15oz) jar Apricot preserves

1 pkg or 1/4 C dry onion soup mix

Place all items in Crock pot (slow cooker)

cook on low 4 1/2 - 5 hours.

Serve with rice or on rolls.

I added 1 cup of small veggies to the rice and then topped it with some of the remaining sauce in the cooker, was amazing!

Crock Pot Mashed Potato's w/ Chops and Glaze

Crock Pot Mashed Potato's

5 Lbs Potato's (Seirra gold or red potato's) diced w/ peel
1 C. Water
1 C. Butter, Sliced
1 Tbsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/3 C. Milk, warmed

Add potato's, water, and butter to slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
Do not remove extra water from the slow cooker. Mash.
Mash while adding milk to create creamy texture.
Keep warm on low serving until serving.

Keep lid on cooker and serve from cooker - after serving package up left overs.

Pork Chops

6-10 Pork Chops
1 bottle of Balsamic Glaze
1-2 tsp frying oil.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat pan, salt and pepper chops, lightly glaze the side that you will place onto the hot surface.
Cook Pork Chops grilling on both sides glazing each side once during cooking.
Once cooked through, plate and add decorative glazing, serve with warm mashed potato's.

Yummy!

Thai Peanut Chicken - easy version

 

1 Large bag of frozen Chicken
1 (1/2 C. extra reserved) Thai Peanut Sauce
2 C. uncooked white rice
2 C. small veggie mix

Add frozen chicken and rest of Thai Peanut sauce - cook on low 6-8 hours

Cook rice separately, cook veggies separately then mix together. Serve strained meat over rice with remaining sauce drizzled over top.
For my daughter (8 yr old) I omit the extra sauce as it's too spicy for her. The cooked flavor is yummy enough for her!

So yummy, so easy and quite a break from the more mild flavors without being too hot or too spicy. Its a mild heat, with a mild sweet nutty taste.

Coke Chicken

Coke Chicken 

2 lbs. Chicken Tenders
1 can Coca Cola
12 oz. Ketchup
1 lb. Baby Carrots
2 lb. smal red potatoes cut into thick chunks (halves or quarters)

Mis all ingredients together. Place into 1 gallon freezer bags & freeze (if saving for camping or once a month cooking). Unthaw.

To grill - wrap in tin foil (heavy duty - double the foil) place on grill cook for 40 minutes - turning over midway.

Dutch oven - Place chicken & veggies in Dutch oven. Mix coke & ketchup and pour over the top. 12 coals on top and 12 on bottom.
cook for an hour or until chicken is done and veggies are tender.

Slow Cooker - dump frozen bag or after mixing into slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours. High 4-6.

For cooking once a month double recipe and make two batches. I took this camping and quadrupled the recipe since we were going to have such a large group.

 Super simple to assemble & freeze, easy to cook and great to taste!

Another camping and once a month cooking favorite!

I love how versatile this recipe is - can be cooked so many different ways! 

I am sure it can also be done on the stove top or in a dutch in the oven!

BBQ & Southwest Tacos

Now I found this recipe originally on Pinterest titled Callies Soft Tacos. However, I modified it AND it wasn't quit correct on a few points. Thus I will be correcting it and not linking to the original.

Southwest Soft Tacos

5-6 frozen chicken breasts
1 can enchilada sauce
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 cups corn (I prefer frozen)
4 cups cooked rice
2 cups mexican shredded cheese

Place chicken, enchilada sauce & seasoning in crockpot. Cover. Cook on high 4 hours. 

Pull the chicken out - shred it - re-add back into sauce in crockpot along with corn & cook 30 minutes more. (more photos to follow)

Add cooked rice and stir together.

In medium soft shelled burritos, add some cheese and a few scoopfuls of southwest mix.

Roll up, I fold in two side slightly and roll the rest up and over.

 

Serve immediately with a side salad or wrap in either foil or press n' seal wrap, place in gallon freezer bags and freeze for quick lunches.

 

Using medium soft burritos I was able to make 30 (I used only 5 lg chicken breasts)

 

 

BBQ Soft Tacos

5-6 frozen chicken breasts (2-3 pds pork)

1 bottle of honey BBQ sauce (or flavor of choice)

3 Cups cooked rice

2 Cups mexican shredded cheese

Place chicken & sauce in crockepot, cover, cook on high 4 hours. (low up to 8 if you need it to cook while working same for recipe above). Remove chicken from crockpot - shred, return to crock pot and cook 1/2 hour more. 

Add cooked rice, stir together.

Add mix & cheese to soft tacos and roll up.

 

Serve immediately with side salad or wrap and freeze for later.

Using medium soft burritos I was able to make 30 tacos.

 after shredding

after adding in corn

My husband loves both of them and has been eating them for lunches from frozen

It took me two days of making one large batch of each and will feed him lunches for a month!

(working on the theory of 2 burritos a day)

Storage Food - Broccoli Cheese Soup

Many out there buy food storage items and then toss them or give them away when they restock their almost expired products.
As a person who has lived off of food storage before, I have learned many ways to turn drab into fab!

For those cooking out of food storage 

This is a good time to use other "Food storage foods"

Large Canned chicken 

half can be used with this and other other half put off to the side for Chicken Salad Sandwhiches.

Also this is a good recipe to dump in a ton of mixed frozen veggies.

Mix soup following directions

add in

meat of choice

veggies of choice

Cook in crock pot on low 8 hours or high 2 1/2 hours

Served for my hubby

with fresh bread and grated cheese

grated pepper to taste

Mine served with

Croutons

grated cheese

fresh ground pepper to taste

Food storage is versatile, tasty and easy to use.

Never be afraid to experiment!

Comfort food - Chili & Hotdogs

Rinse black beans

 cook on high in crock pot for at least one hour

Add cheese soup mixed with 3/4 C milk

Serve over wheat bread

Is it gourmet food?

No

Is it cooked right?

Yup!

When your cooking on a budget you can still take ordinary cheap foods and make a decent tasting meal.

Creamy Chicken

 

Cook low 8 hours or high 4 hours

Then one more hour on high after adding in the last two ingredients

5 frozen chicken breasts

1 1/2 c. salsa

2 cans cream of chicken soup (any cream soup I used celery)

2 1/2 Tblsp. taco seasoning

1 tsp. bottled lime juice (I used one whole lime)

add after cooking

1 Tblsp. butter (mine sans the butter)

1/2 c. sour cream

This can be served over rice, over buns like a chicken sloppy joe or if you substituted one can of soup for a cheese soup (like Nacho Cheese) this can be served over tortillas. 

I found this recipe via Faith & Daisies via Jamie Cooks It Up!

One served it over tortillas while the other served it over tacos adding cheese, lettuce and tomatoes to it.

Very versatile base dish that can be transformed into many things