How to Be A Frugal Cook

With the increasing possibility that food prices will skyrocket in the New Year, it�s more important than ever that you learn how to be a frugal cook. With some simple adjustments to your current habits you can save a lot on your food bill.

Two of the following recipes involve the use of a slow cooker. If you don�t already own one, I highly recommend it. Slow cookers are the ultimate tool for easy preparation. All you have to do is mix up the ingredients, start the cooker and return to a hot and ready meal later on.* 2 cups of chopped cooked chicken* 2 uncooked chicken breasts* 1 bag of frozen broccoli* 1 cup of uncooked riceGo through your cookbooks and choose recipes that use vegetables that are in season. Fall crops include all of the heartier vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, turnips and potatoes. Stews are great fall and winter recipes because they use these fall crops and cheaper cuts of meat, like stewing beef. Make some nights meatless. Beans and rice or vegetarian chili are just two examples of classic meatless meals, but search your receipt books for more.* 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese* 1 box of penne pastaSixth on our list of ways to be a more frugal cook is to plan for convenience. If you know that a particular night during the week will be hectic, plan an easy meal for that night. When you are particularly tired you�ll need a meal that is easy to cook or one that has been frozen and just needs to be microwaved. Pre-planning for those difficult nights will save you from dashing off to the nearest fast food place just because you are hungry and too tired to cook. Those extra meals out can really add up.Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole

So, there you have it - seven easy tips for becoming a more frugal cook. Let�s hope food prices don�t go up, but if they do you are now know seven ways to be a frugal cook

Author: Kerry Hook

Three Cheap and Easy Chicken Dinners

Poor secretaries know that eating out every night takes a big chunk out of your budget. Cooking dinner for yourself is a great way to cut food costs and experiment with the foods you like. I�m always on the look-out for meals that are easy to prepare and cheap to make and these three cheap and easy chicken dinners fit the bill.

Salt can appear to be ruined when it clumps together. To prevent your salt from clumping in high humidity areas, add a few grains of rice. This will absorb the extra moisture and save you from having to buy more salt.How will you cook the chicken? Bake it? Grill it? Stir fry? You can even use a slow cooker recipe to cook your chicken. There are many ways to prepare the chicken. There are also many types of cuts of chicken. Will you use a whole chicken? Half? Just thighs or wings? Maybe you will want it boneless or skin less. A good tool to invest in is a How To Cookbook. A book like this will teach you how to know these differences. It will teach you many important techniques you will use over and over in any baking or cooking you do. Another aspect to consider is when or how you will serve the chicken recipe. Will you prepare an appetizer recipe?* 1 teaspoon of onion salt* 1 can of cream of chicken soup* 1 cup of uncooked long grain rice* 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules* 1 jar of ready-made alfredo sauceGrowing your own herbs is a fourth way to be a frugal cook. If you are using less flavorful cuts of meat, herbs and spices can go a long way to boost the flavor, so you should make good use of them. Since herbs can be a very expensive item to purchase at the grocery store, you�ll want to consider growing your own. Most can be easily grown in a summer garden and then dried for later use or grown on kitchen window sills.Seventh, grow your own vegetables. Now is a good time to start to plan for a vegetable garden. If you have health problems that make a traditional garden difficult, then try container gardening. Just about any vegetable can be grown in the right container. Containers can be raised up to a higher level for those who can no longer bend over or kneel and are much easier to keep weeded than traditional gardens.Tip number five is about finding ways to salvage items when you think they can�t be used. Two common problems arise from sugar and salt. Don�t throw out your brown sugar when it turns hard. Simply put an old bread crust into a sealed bag along with the brown sugar and you will notice that it re-moistens itself in about a day or so. Sugar is getting more expensive all the time, so this simple thing can really save you money.A third way to be a frugal cook is to make use of all leftovers. Either freeze them for later use or make creative use of your leftovers. Your leftover stew would make a nice pot pie. Leftover potatoes can be added to Shepard�s pie, or hamburger as filler. Just get creative with what�s before you.* 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh)When cooking chicken, make sure to cook it until it reaches the proper temperature. Chicken cannot be eaten raw. But, cooking it thoroughly will kill any bacteria that may be on your chicken. Again, make sure to use utensils that are clean and sanitary each time you touch the chicken. Following your directions correctly will provide you with the best possible outcome for your chicken recipes. Using the correct ingredients, properly cut and thoroughly clean, will deliver a great meal for whoever you are cooking for and whatever you make!Mix all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours. Look for preparation tasks you can do ahead of time. Cooking and chopping up the chicken for two of these recipes immediately after returning from the grocery store will save you time when you�re throwing dinner together after a long day of work.Easy Chicken and Rice CasseroleSo, there you have it - seven easy tips for becoming a more frugal cook. Let�s hope food prices don�t go up, but if they do you are now know seven ways to be a frugal cookFirst, plan ahead. Develop a meal plan and stick with it. Check your local store flyers to see what food items are on sale. Try to add meals to your week based upon what is on sale.Use a slow cooker for cheaper cuts of meat. They are many recipes available for cheaper cuts of meat, but they usually involve longer cooking times to soften the meat up, so plan for extra cooking times when using a slow cooker.* 1 can of cream of chickenWill you make a soup or will it be a main dish? You have many questions to ask yourself. Once you come to these conclusions and know what your goals are, you will be able to find the perfect chicken recipes. Cooking with chicken you also need to understand how to prepare chicken safely. Chicken does contain bacteria that you need to avoid exposing yourself and your diners too. Always wash hands thoroughly after touching or handling chicken. Use the hottest water you can and an antibacterial soap as well. Ensure that you do not touch any equipment or items before washing your hands. This will prevent cross contamination as well.* 1 small bag of frozen broccoli* 2 cups of chopped, cooked chickenPrepare by mixing all ingredients in a slow cooker and cooking on high for 3-4 hours.Second, make a list of all the items that you will need at the grocery store. Group the list so that all the same items from the same section of the store are together to make your shopping trip go more smoothly. Buy only the items on the list.Begin by cooking the pasta and steaming the veggies in two separate pots. Cook pasta for 8-10 minutes to desired texture and drain. Return the noodles to the pot and add the vegetables, sauce, chicken and basil to the pasta in the pot. Stir and cook over low heat until everything is warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.* 1 packet of dry onion soup mix

Experiment with these recipes to suit them to your individual tastes. If you don�t like alfredo sauce, use marinara or pesto instead. Use different vegetables if you don�t like broccoli or try different styles of pasta. Spice up the recipes with chili powder or crushed red pepper if you like a little zing in your meals. If you have leftovers, stick them in individual serving Tupperware containers to take for lunch the next day. Get creative � play around with these recipes and enjoy creating dishes that taste great and save you money!

Author: Sarah Russell

Chicken recipes that everyone enjoys!

Chicken recipes are a stable in many people�s diets. Many of them are recipes we have made time and time again and others, are special recipes, maybe a favorite Christmas recipe or even a special fondue recipe using chicken. Americans consume more chicken then any other meat, but we still want new recipes to use! Spicing up old recipes or creating new ones is easy when you have the right tools. Finding new free recipes is easy if you are using the Internet. Simply searching for recipes in your favorite search engine will produce many sites you can choose from. Within those sites, you can search for chicken recipes or any other that you may be looking for. Most of the time, you will receive many choices to choose from. Choose those that you have the ingredients for or are willing to purchase. If you do not have the ability to search online, check your local library for books and magazines on chicken recipes.

* 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powderExperiment with these recipes to suit them to your individual tastes. If you don�t like alfredo sauce, use marinara or pesto instead. Use different vegetables if you don�t like broccoli or try different styles of pasta. Spice up the recipes with chili powder or crushed red pepper if you like a little zing in your meals. If you have leftovers, stick them in individual serving Tupperware containers to take for lunch the next day. Get creative � play around with these recipes and enjoy creating dishes that taste great and save you money!

When cooking chicken, make sure to cook it until it reaches the proper temperature. Chicken cannot be eaten raw. But, cooking it thoroughly will kill any bacteria that may be on your chicken. Again, make sure to use utensils that are clean and sanitary each time you touch the chicken. Following your directions correctly will provide you with the best possible outcome for your chicken recipes. Using the correct ingredients, properly cut and thoroughly clean, will deliver a great meal for whoever you are cooking for and whatever you make!

Author: Mike Yeager

Vegetarian Recipes - A Way To Eating Healthy

More and more people are choosing to eat a vegetarian diet because they know that veggies are healthful food. Using low calorie and vegetarian recipes is one of the most important things you can do to protect your heath and the health of your family since obesity is now an epidemic in the United States and other developed countries. Cooking them is still better than the alternatives to a vegetarian lifestyle or a vegan lifestyle, but we receive the most nutritional benefit from ingesting whole and organic raw foods. They will often include many of the vitamins, minerals, and sources of nutrition that every body needs. These low calorie recipes, usually high in fiber, protect against digestive disorders such as diverticulosis and may offer protection from colon and lung cancers. Many low calorie and vegetarian recipes use soy, tofu, dried beans and peas to add protein to meals. Using low calorie recipes will provide a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes, adding high amounts of all the essential vitamins and minerals. Subscribing to vegetarian magazines, scouring newspaper food sections, and visiting veggie websites will bring you a respectable number of recipes, but it's more convenient to have hundreds and hundreds in one place.

1. Combine all ingredients except potato flakes in a 6 quart slow cooker.� � tsp. no salt seasoning (or more to taste)

Exploring vegetarian recipes is great simply to spice up the kitchen with something new. Whether you are choosing to eat vegetarian dishes as a permanent diet or as part of a healthier lifestyle, Vegetarian Recipes is packed with ideas to tempt the most committed carnivore.

Author: Kelvin Hall

Tips To Making Your Crockpot Cooking Better

The crockpot may be the perfect cooking appliance for a new cook. It's no wonder it's become so popular in so many American Kitchens. You add the ingredients and turn it on. Let the slow cooker do the rest! Plus, it's really hard to mess up a crockpot recipe.

� 1 cup diced carrotsAs more people juggle trying to eat healthier with their busy lifestyles, they may find that Vegetarian slow cooking provides an answer. What I like best about slow cooker Vegetarian recipes is that the long, slow-cooking process enriches the flavor of the dish in a way that other cooking methods can't match. The gentle slow-cooking process actually draws more flavor out of the ingredients. In addition to convenience, slow cooking also scores high marks for taste and nutrition since the long cooking time allows both flavors and nutrients to concentrate in the food. While the slow cooker was once synonymous with cooking pot roasts and other meat dishes, just as my friend discovered, the Vegetarian cook will find a vast number of ways to use it.2. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add flour and blend well. Gradually stir in milk and cook over low heat until thickened. Stir in cheese and cook until melted. Add cheese mixture to the broth and vegetable mixture stirring well. Add chicken cooking and stirring over low heat until thoroughly heated.2. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours until potatoes pierce easily with a fork and chicken is done.4. Uncover and cook on high for 10 minutes or until chowder has thickened and potato flakes have thoroughly dissolved.Many crockpot recipes call for some sort of meat. Some of the best pot roasts and chicken dishes I've had have come from a crockpot! Remember when slow cooking meat to trim off excess fat. Due to the prolonged cooking in a slow cooker, that excess fat can really get cooked in giving your dish an odd taste.� � cup diced onion

Crockpot cooking can be easy, fun and really tasty. Check out our assortment of crockpot cookers at http://www.searchkitchenappliances.com/Small-Kitchen-Appliances/Cookers-Steamers

Author: Jeff Jones

Easy Comfort Food

January always seems to be the month that creates the desire for food that is warm, comforting and easy to fix. After all the more complicated and rich foods of the holiday season it seems that simple and warming are the kinds of foods we are all in the mood to eat. The weather also dictates that soups and stews are appropriate additions to our menus. They are easy to prepare, warming to our cold bodies and they invite us to stay indoors in our kitchens.

� 4 15 ounce cans cream style cornServes 8-10As for cooking time as directed by recipes - keep in mind that one hour on high in a crockpot is equal to about 2 hours on low. If your slow cooker recipe calls for a four-hour cook time on high, but you want to eat in eight hours, cook your dish on low.The second recipe was found in a newspaper supplement several years ago. It is truly comfort food and most delicious.A good rule of thumb when adapting a recipe from slow cooker to stove top is to increase the liquid. I would not add too much more liquid in the slow cooker recipe as it would make it too soupy. The following recipe may be cut in half.� 1/3 cup flourExploring vegetarian recipes is great simply to spice up the kitchen with something new. Whether you are choosing to eat vegetarian dishes as a permanent diet or as part of a healthier lifestyle, Vegetarian Recipes is packed with ideas to tempt the most committed carnivore.No matter how good the meal starts to smell resist the temptation to open the lid. Each time you do, heat escapes, and the cooker will take longer to finish your meal. The ingredients at the bottom will cook faster than those on top, but it is not necessary to stir as often as you would a stove-top recipe. Keep that lid on except when it is absolutely necessary to stir your recipe.� 2 cups diced cooked chicken� 2 cups grated cheddar cheeseCrockpot cooking can be easy, fun and really tasty. Check out our assortment of crockpot cookers at http://www.searchkitchenappliances.com/Small-Kitchen-Appliances/Cookers-Steamers� 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into ��chunks� 1 cup chicken broth1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium stock pot. Reduce heat and add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion , no salt seasoning and pepper. Cover and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.3. Add potato flakes and stir well.� 1 tsp. no-salt seasoning� 2 14 ounce cans low sodium chicken brothMakes 8 servings� � cup butter� 1 cup dried potato flakesTry to buy a crockpot that's big enough to hold more than the normal amount of food you will need. That way, you'll have extra capacity available when you need it unexpectedly.� � tsp. black pepperLast year about this time I shared some of my family�s favorite potato recipes. These recipes were simple, made us feel good because they were part of our family�s recipe collection and just warmed us up. I have a couple of new recipes that are not based on just the potato but they do have potato in them. One of them is a slow cooker recipe but can easily be adapted to the stove top.� � tsp. pepper� 2 cups peeled and diced potatoesHere are some tips to make your slow-cooking better.� 1 lb. uncooked, boneless chicken breasts cut into 1� piecesIncluding a few vegetarian recipes into your diet can quickly improve how you feel and can be part of an overall health plan that will improve your life. And contrary to popular belief, these recipes are full of the taste and enjoyment of many other foods you eat. Incorporating vegetarian recipes into any diet will bring variety and give healthy eating options. Plus, vegetarian cuisine is chockfull of dishes that are robust and flavorful, and a match for any standard meat dish. Such treats as squash with tofu, vegetarian paella, and baked figs with dried fruit and anisette may well convert some confirmed carnivores to part-time vegetarians. Many of these recipes cook faster than those made with meat.� 1 cup onion, choppedMake sure not to over-fill the pot when you are adding ingredients. The experts recommend filling it between one-half to two-thirds full maximum. This will facilitate even cooking and avoid the mess when it bubbles over.� 2 cups 1% percent milk� 1 cup finely shredded carrotsNote: This may be halved for a smaller slow cooker. To make on the stove top add about � cup more liquid. The test for doneness would be the same.� 2 cups 1% milkChicken and Corn Chowder

Makes 8 servings

Author: Jan Duggan

Slow Cooker Tips: 6 Easy Ways to Maximize Flavor and Get the Most from Your Crock Pot

If you are trying to get away from today's preservative-laden fast food and convenience foods, it's time to rediscover your slow cooker.

Tip # 14 - Farberware FSC600 6-quart Oval Slow Cooker oval design accommodates oversize roasts, whole chickens, hams, and/or ribs. It features a large, 6-quart capacity stoneware liner, which nests inside a chrome slow cooker base and the auto setting switches to a lower 'keep warm' setting after cooking food.Tip # 3 - Always defrost meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker.Tip # 9 - It is not necessary to brown meat before slow cooking, but it gives more depth of flavor in the food and removes some of the fat, especially in pork, lamb and sausages. If the meat is lean, well trimmed and not highly marbled, it doesn't need to be browned.Tip # 1 - According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, bacteria in food are killed at a temperature of 165�F. Meats cooked in the slow cooker reach an internal temperature of 170� in beef and as high as 190�F in poultry. It is important to follow the recommended cooking times and to keep the cover on your slow cooker during the cooking process.6. Try to avoid opening the lid. When you open the lid of a crock pot, you let out the steam and moisture, and this will change your cooking time (by as much as 20 minutes). It's important to follow the recipe closely, add each ingredient when the recipe calls for it � and then leave your slow cooker alone!9780740779671, $16.99, www.andrewsmcmeel.comFor those who are not concerned about cooking in aluminum the West Bend Versatility 6-quart Oval Slow Cooker will work well to cook meats. It has a removable aluminum insert that can be used on the stovetop to brown meats and caramelize onions before slow cooking. The bottom unit can also be used on its own as a small griddle. Its dishwasher-safe insert has a nonstick interior and an included roasting rack.Tip # 7 - The slow cooker recipes are best used with the tougher cuts of meats.Slow cooker recipes abound these days (especially on the Internet) and, to find them, all you need to do is search for the name of the traditional dish followed by +�slow cooker recipe.� But there are a few easy tips that will help you maximize flavor and ensure a mouth-watering meal, every time.1. Use a recipe specifically created for slow cookers. If you are dying to convert a traditional recipe to a slow cooking recipe, there are some rules to follow. For example, unless you're making soup, you'll typically want to decrease the amount of liquid you add. Because a slow cooker retains moisture, you can sometimes end up with more liquid at the end of the cooking time than you had when you started and this can dilute the flavors of your dish.Most of the slow cooker recipes I used were based on meats and poultry. Here are 14 easy tips to make your slow cooker recipes tasty and safe:

and add additional fresh herbs to taste. Fresh basil often complements Italian dishes. Rosemary and thyme taste delightful with pot roast. Experiment and find what works for you and your taste buds.

Author: Jamie Jefferson