Showing posts with label Thrifty Thursdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thrifty Thursdays. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Thrifty Thursdays - Whole Roasted Chickens Provide Multiple Meals


For this week's Thrifty Thursday, let's talk about chicken....

We eat a lot of chicken. I'm always hoping to see a good sale pop up in the weekly sales ads. This week, I found whole chickens on sale for 59 cents a pound. For under $12.00, I was able to buy 10 lbs of chicken. Granted, that ten pounds is not all chicken but I will get enough off of it for 4 meals....and I hear that you can cook up some great chicken stock if you cook the carcasses. I cannot bring myself to cook the bones and other parts to make broth. The thought is revolting to me so I do lose out a bit on that.

It seems that everyone has their favorite way to roast a chicken. My way is simple: rinse the bird inside and out and then pat dry with some paper towels. I rub a little butter under the skin of the chicken and then all over the top and sides of it. Then I sprinkle it with garlic powder, poultry seasoning and onion powder. Pop it into a baking dish and bake at 375* for 1 1/2 -2 1/2 hrs -depending on the size of the chickens.



MMM! Crispy on the outside, yet very moist on the inside.

The 4 meals that I will be making are:

Chicken and Noodles - tonight's dinner
Chicken Tacos
Chicken Stir Fry
Chicken Barley Soup

After picking every last bit of chicken from the bones, I mixed the white meat and dark meat together and then divided them among three freezer bags.

I hope that you've had a wonderful, thrifty week. Check out Amanda's Cookin' for more thrifty ideas.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Thrifty Thursdays - Thrifty Finds

I love, love, love to shop at thrift stores and yard sales! I have found some really good things during the last two weeks.

Since this is Thrify Thursdays the cooking edition, I'll only talk about my kitchen finds.

At GoodWill, I found a spice rack:


I've been searching for glass containers for my array of different spices and herbs that are taking up cupboard space. This set is brand new with plastic shaker tops and screw on lids. They are just waiting for me to find the perfect little labels for them. ;) $2.99 for the this set.

Last weekend, I found this wok at a yard sale.


It was pretty dusty from sitting in the lady's basement but other than that in excellent condition. It was never used. She even kept the booklets that came with it. There's lots of recipes included in the booklets. Yay! For $1.00, I couldn't pass it up!

Has anyone else had luck at thrift stores or yard sales? I'd love to hear what you've found.

I'm still searching for a set of ramekins. I know that there's a set of 4 or more out there somewhere for a really good (aka cheap) price. I know that someone like me has them sitting on a shelf collecting dust and that one day they are going to set them out for me to find. I know this because I did just that... I bought 8 new ramekins from an Oneida outlet store in NY years ago. I never used them so I gave them to GoodWill....and now I'm kicking myself for it. Yes, I could go buy a new set of 4 for $10. or more but what fun would that be?!?

Are you searching for something like this?


See what others are talking about on

Thrifty Thursdays - Egglicious!


Two weeks ago I was thrilled to find that large eggs at Aldi's were on sale for 79 cents a dozen! This is a great thrifty find for me!


Since I've been cooking and baking more from scratch, I go through a lot of eggs. I bought 4 dozen that day but I now I wish that I'd bought twice that many.

Did you know that raw eggs that are stored continuously in the refrigerator will last 4-5 weeks beyond the expiration date on the carton?

Are you storing your eggs the right way? Eggs should be stored in the carton on a middle or lower shelf inside the refrigerator - not in the door.

Beyond using the eggs in recipes, here are a few of our favorites ways to prepare eggs:

Hard Boiled Eggs
(Pictured above)

With lots of practice, I've finally found a way to cook beautiful hard boiled eggs.

Add one layer of raw eggs to the bottom of a pot. Do not overcrowd the eggs. Cover with cold water. Over high heat, bring water to a rolling boil. Cook for eggs for 7 minutes.

Remove pot from burner and cover tightly with a lid, leaving the eggs and water in the pot to sit for another 7-10 minutes.

Rinse eggs in very cold water. The shells should come off very easily. Enjoy!

Refrigerate any leftovers for up to one week.


Poached Eggs on Toast

An easy way to poach eggs without an egg poacher is to make them in a big frying pan. Add 6 inches of water to the pan, along with a splash of white vinegar. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. If you are cooking several eggs, you will probably need to add more water to the pan in order to maintain enough water to poach the eggs.

Break the eggs, one at a time, into a small dish to make sure they are ok. Gently drop each egg into the water.

Cook for 3-4 minutes until the whites of the eggs are solid and not slimy, but the yolks are still soft.

Using a slotted spoon, gently scoop up an egg and place on top of a piece of warm (buttered if you prefer) toast.


Deviled Eggs

6 eggs sliced in half. Remove yellows and place in a small bowl. Stir in 1-2 TBSP of mayo and 1-2 TBSP spicy brown mustard. Stir until the mixture is really creamy.

Add mixture to a small plastic baggie. Snip of one corner of the baggie and pipe the egg filling into the egg white cups.

Sprinkle with spicy creole seasoning (optional).


**tip** An easy way to pack deviled eggs for a picnic is to add the yellows, mayo and mustard directly into a Ziploc baggie. Mix all of the ingredients together right in the bag. Store in a cooler along with the egg white cups. When its time to eat, simply snip an end off one side of the baggie and pipe the filling into the eggs. Throw the baggie away when you are finished. Minimal cleanup!

and last but not least...

Egg Salad

My recipe for egg salad is very simple and basically the same as a recipe posted at Annie's Recipes with a couple of exceptions highlighted below:

6 hard boiled eggs, grated fine - I rough chop mine with a knife
2 tablespoons minced parsley - I didn't have it so I left it out
1/3 cup minced pimiento-stuffed olives - left it out
1 tablespoons prepared Dijon mustard
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced scallions
Lettuce leaves- I used bread

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and mix thoroughly.

Refrigerate, covered, at least 30 minutes.

Serve atop lettuce leaves or spread it in a sandwich.

Leftovers can be kept a couple of days.

Makes about 2 cups.


**notes** We happen to like the extra zing that mustard gives to egg salad. If you don't like it, just leave it out of the recipe and replace it with mayo.

I don't usually add onion to my egg salad but this time I decided to give it a try. It was a nice change - even though you can barely see it because I had to chop it up so that my kids didn't notice it!

I am submitting this egg salad recipe to the Cooking with Alicia & Annie Blog Event going on this month.

This month's prize is really cool! Stop by and check it out.


I hope that you've found a thrifty way to celebrate Thursdays. Click here to see what others have come up with.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Thrifty Thursday - my magazine craze


Ok, I admit it...To go along with my cookbook addiction, I'm addicted to collecting and reading magazines! Very rarely do I ever purchase a subscription to any magazine. Instead, I buy them at thrift stores and yard sales or once in a while I will get lucky and find some that someone has listed on Craigslist or FreeCycle for free.

My husband and I went hunting through our local Habitat for Humanity Restore today. I love wandering around places like that. I didn't find anything that I was looking for but I did get a great deal on 6 Southern Living magazines that are filled with recipes and decorating ideas that I can't wait to try. :)



I only paid $1.00 for all of them!


Magazines and good deals....that makes me happy!!!

This is my Thrifty Thursday deal of the week.


Here are more great Thrifty Thursday bloggings.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Thrifty Thursday Tip: Drink More Water!

No, I don't mean drink more of the so-called fancy, shmansy bottled water! (which is usually not that fancy after all) I mean plain ol' tap water. That's right...stick a glass under the kitchen faucet and turn on the water. Now, if you just can't stand the taste of the tap water in your house, buy a water filter for the faucet. In the long run, you will be saving a lot more money than if you were to keep buying bottled water and you will keep the plastic bottles out of the landfills.

Now, I will admit it...I don't drink nearly as much water as I should. I drink 3 or 4 -8 oz. glasses a day. I'm aiming for more yet again.

Besides saving money, drinking water is great for your health.

Here are 10 reasons why you should drink more water:

  • Get Healthy Skin
  • Flush Toxins
  • Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Attack
  • Cushion And Lube Your Joints And Muscles
  • Get Energized And Be Alert
  • Stay Regular
  • Reduce Your Risk Of Disease And Infection
  • Regulate Your Body Temperature
  • Burn More Fat And Build More Muscle
  • Get Well

To keep yourself motivated, go out and make 2 purchases -

1. a sporty or unusual, well-made water bottle. Look for one that is made out of a material that won't break if it is dropped or knocked over. Big or small, bright colored or weird shaped...whatever catches your eye and makes you want to carry it.

2. a fun glass or cup for each season or holiday - hit the dollar stores, Target or Walmart to look for their selection of fun summer drink ware. Buy something that's a little zany, something that makes you smile when you look at it. You are more apt to use it this way! Make a promise to yourself to only drink water out of it. It's much more fun to drink water out of a hot pink flamingo cup than it is to drink out of a plain old boring white plastic cup.

Here is a handy gadget to help you remember how much water you've had to drink. It's more clever than my hairbands-around-the-water bottle-system that I use now--albeit, not as thrifty! **I wrapped 10 hairbands around my (free) water bottle. I start off in the morning with all of the hairbands at the top of the bottle. Every time I drink 1 cup of water, I move a band to the bottom of the bottom.

If you don't like the taste of plain water, add a couple of slices of fresh lemon or orange to the glass. MMM!! Make pretty ice cubes by adding fresh raspberries or blueberries to the tray before filling it.

Won't you join me in a tall glass of water now?


Look here to see more Thrifty Thursday tips at Amanda's Cookin.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Thrifty Thursday a day late

Lately I have been late doing everything. I hate it, it's not me. I'm usually on time or early for the things that I have planned to do.

I hadn't planned on participating in Thrifty Thursday this week because I haven't done any frugal this week. Even the cookbooks that I bought for a steal turned out too good to be true --but that's a story I want to forget about. What's that they say... "If it seems too good to be true..."

Anyway.... I came across a nice freebie this morning and wanted to pass it along to everyone in hopes that you can take advantage of it. Who doesn't love Italian ice?!?

You can enjoy a FREE 10 oz. cup of Italian Ice from Rita's today from noon until 10:00 pm. Check here to see if there is a shop near you! Unfortunately, I don't have a shop nearby so I'd love to hear from you if you take part in this one!

So there you have it, a Thrifty Thursday food freebie! I love freebies!!



Check out more Thrifty Thursday tips at Amanda's Cookin' blog.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Thrifty Thursdays thrift shop finds - cookbooks!

Amanda from Amanda's Cookin is hosting Thrifty Thursdays!

I LOVE cookbooks! I love to sit and read them just like a novel. During a recent search through a local thrift store, I found these cookbooks:


They are all in excellent condition. The best part is that I picked them all up for under $5.00! Yes, there's quite a variety there, but I plan on putting all of them to use sooner or later.

Want more great Thrifty Thursday news?

I was given a large food processor from a very nice lady in my local FreeCycle group. I had one before we made the move to NC, but I FreeCycled it while I was cleaning out before the move.

That's it for me today!

If you would like to read more thrifty tips, take a look at what others have to say....



Join in on the fun and share your thrifty tips, too!
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