Home gardening offers ways to trim grocery costs [Survival Today, an on going thread]

Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick

Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.

At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."

Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.

A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."

She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.

"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/171

From: Jello.com (this website link is listed in groups link section)

Angel Lush

Recipe Rating:

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 1 hr 15 min
Makes: 10 servings

1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Fat Free Sugar Free
Instant Reduced Calorie Pudding & Pie Filling
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP LITE Whipped Topping
1 pkg. (10 oz.) round angel food cake
10 fresh strawberries

MIX pineapple with its juice and the dry pudding mix in medium bowl.
Gently stir in whipped topping.
CUT cake horizontally into three layers. Place bottom cake layer,
cut-side up, on serving plate; top with 1-1/3 cups of the pudding
mixture. Cover with middle cake layer and an additional 1 cup of the
remaining pudding mixture. Top with remaining cake layer; spread top
of dessert with the remaining pudding mixture.
REFRIGERATE at least 1 hour. Top with strawberries just before
serving. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

Granny note:

If you have Goat milk, use it to make a pudding, I used the Instant pudding mixes and got many raves on the Toasted Coconut with added pineapple chunks.

granny

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/163

Chicken and Pecan Salad Under the Stars
Recipe By :Midwest Living Magazine

4 cups chicken — cooked diced
2 cups celery — diced
1 cup mushrooms — fresh sliced
1/2 cup red or green sweet pepper — chopped optional
1/2 cup toasted pecan halves or pieces
4 slices crisp cooked bacon — crumbled
1 carton dairy sour cream — 8 oz
1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Lettuce leaves
6 pita bread halves — to 8

Donna takes this dish to family picnics under the stars at Ravinia,
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s summer concert site outdoors.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, celery, mushrooms, red or green
pepper (if you like), pecans and bacon. In a medium bowl, stir
together sour cream, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Add to chicken
mixture; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover;
chill for 2 to 24 hours. Serve in lettuce-lined pita or on salad
plates. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Picnic hint: Carry the chilled salad in a cooler packed with ice.

Ive listed the link that I got this from under the links section—

www.recipelinks.com

Melissa

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/156

Hamburger Pie

Here’s another one of my easy recipes.
Hamburger Pie
1 pound Ground beef
1/2 cup Onions, chopped
1 canned green beans, drained
1 canned condensed cream of tomato soup
mashed potato, for 4 servings
1 1/4 cups cheese, grated

Brown meat and onions until meat is cooked and onions
are tender; drain fat. Stir in green beans and soup;
heat through. Pour into lightly greased baking dish,
top with mashed potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25
min, sprinkle grated cheese on top and bake 10 min.
longer or until cheese melts and pie is bubbly.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/155

Easy Busy Day Casserole

1 lb ground meat
1 cup raw rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can onion soup
1/4 cup bell popper
2 pods garlic
1 stalk of celery
1/4 cup onion tops
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a 2-quart casserole dish
and cover. Bake at 350F for 1 hour.

Serves 6.

[An easy to change, “clean out the refrig “ dish.....granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/154

This one is fast and easy and my kids like it. I throw in a small can of mushrooms with it because my kids like mushrooms.

Chicken and Dressing Casserole

2 pounds boiled chicken
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) margarine
1/2 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 (13 ounce) can evaporated or whole milk
1 box cornbread stuffing mix
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Remove chicken from bone and place in 2-quart casserole. Melt margarine
and add soups and milk; mix well. Pour over chicken in casserole. Mix
stuffing with broth and spoon over mixture in casserole dish. Do not
stir layers together. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes or until
brown.

[Another clean out the refrig recipe and hide it all under the dressing mixture...easy to tuck in the left over vegtables, use up that gravy in place of the soups....granny]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/148

Impossibly Easy Breakfast Bake
2 packages (12 ounces each) bulk pork sausage
1 medium bell pepper, chopped (1 cup)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
1 cup bisquick mix
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 eggs

1. Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2
inches. Cook sausage, bell pepper and onion in 10-inch skillet over
medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink;
drain. Stir together sausage mixture, potatoes and 1 1/2 cups of the
cheese in baking dish.
2. Stir Bisquick mix, milk, pepper and eggs until blended. Pour
into baking dish.
3. Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes or until knife inserted in
center comes out clean. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 1 to 2
minutes longer or just until cheese is melted. Cool 5 minutes.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/137

Hamburger Hot Dish

1 lb. hamburger
1 (8oz.) can tomato soup
1 can creamed corn
1 cup shredded cheese(I use cheddar)
2 Cups chopped potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
hot pepper to taste (optional)

Brown hamburger in skillet, stirring until crumbly. Combine soup, corn,
cheese, onion and seasonings; mix well. Alternate layers of potatoes,
hamburger and tomato mixture in casserole dish until all ingredients are
used. Bake at 350* for 1 hour.

Yields 8 servings

Thanks for missing me.

Some days, I just simply do not have what it takes to even think.

All this it is cold, today was nice, yesterday was too hot and I don’t like it, LOL, be one or the other.

How are you doing? Are you baking?

LOL, my white flour breads are awful, but using half WW they are wonderful. LOL and that is the same basic recipe.

Haven’t been able to get far enough ahead on the bread to play with the odd recipes as yet....but I will.

I have some too dry raisins and a quart of almost flat orange soda, so am going to soak them in the orange and if it works, then I may also use it in a cinnamon bread for the liquid.

I took a bag of the Walton’s raisins out of the freezer, but have eaten most of them.

Have you noticed that when the body craves certain minerals, you eat a food that you would not as a rule like?.......raisins .

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/227

Better Than Pumpkin Pie Cake

Makes 1 9x13 pan or 12 servings.

Over the Holiday’s, Maria’s family asked her to make 7 cakes.
Ingredients
1 - box Yellow Cake Mix (reserve 1 – cup)

1 - stick butter or margarine, melted

4 - eggs

1 - can (29-ounces) pumpkin

1 - can (5 ounces) evaporated milk

1/2 - cup brown sugar

1/4 - cup sugar

1-1/2 - teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 - teaspoon nutmeg

Topping

1 - cup Yellow Cake Mix reserved

1 - stick butter or margarine, soft

1/2 - cup sugar

1/2 - cup mixed nuts, chopped

Directions
Preheat 350º F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.

1. In a mixing bowl using a spoon, mix the cake mix, butter or
margarine, and 1-egg. Pour mixture into pan and level across pan.

2. In another mixing bowl, mix the canned pumpkin, 3-eggs,
evaporated milk, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour
ingredients into pan and spread over first layer.

3. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

4. To make the topping, in a mixing bowl cut butter or margarine
into the reserved Yellow Cake Mix, add the sugar and mix nuts.
Sprinkle over Second layer.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/202

Substitute your favorite bread for bread listed below...if desired

Apricot Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2

Classic chicken salad is spiked with green onion, dried apricots and
apricot preserves, perfect for topping hearty whole wheat bread.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup chopped cooked chicken breast
2 tbsp. chopped green onions
4 dried apricots, finely chopped
3 tbsp. apricot preserves
2 tbsp. nonfat mayonnaise
2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley (optional)
2 slices Pepperidge Farm® German Dark Wheat Natural Whole Grain Bread
Lettuce leaves

Directions:
MIX chicken, green onions, apricots, preserves, mayonnaise and
parsley.

DIVIDE chicken salad and lettuce between bread slices.

Nutritional Values Per Serving: Calories 269, Total Fat 3g, Saturated
Fat 0g, Cholesterol 39mg, Sodium 326mg, Total Carbohydrate 42g,
Dietary Fiber 4g, Protein 19g, Vitamin A 22%DV, Vitamin C 9%DV,
Calcium 4%DV, Iron 11%DV

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/196

Lime-Sauced Chicken

This dish is simple to make and the sauce is wonderful.

Estimated Times:
Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 12 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 (about 1 lb. total) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup Apple NESTLÉ JUICY JUICE Premium 100% Juice
0 Juice from 1 lime
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 MAGGI Chicken Flavor Bouillon Cubes

Directions

SPRAY large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Heat over medium
heat. Cook chicken for 8 to 10 minutes or until no longer pink in
center. Remove from skillet; keep warm.

COMBINE apple juice, lime juice, cornstarch and bouillon in small
bowl. Add to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until thick. Spoon
sauce over chicken to serve.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/195

Turkey Oven Sandwich

1 pound ground turkey
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 pita breads (6 inches in diameter)
1 medium tomato, thinly sliced
1 medium stalk celery, sliced (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespoon chopped onion
Paprika, if desired

Heat oven to 425 F. Cook turkey, margarine and poultry seasoning in
10-inch
skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until turkey is no
longer
pink; drain.

Split each pita bread around edge with knife to make 2 rounds. Line
bottom
and about halfway up sides of ungreased square pan, 9x9x2 inches,
with pita
breads (they will overlap slightly in middle). Layer turkey, tomato
and
celery on pitas.

Mix remaining ingredients except paprika; spoon over top. Sprinkle
with
paprika. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until topping is light brown.

Makes 4 servings
____________________________________________________________

This recipe courtesy of Back of the Box Recipes.
www.backofthebox.com Home Page

Granny note:

Interesting recipe, that I would not make....LOL, but I would cook it up and serve on hamburger buns.

Or use leftover chicken, cold and make a cold salad to stuff the Pita bread or any bread.......so recipe is a good list of beginning ingredients.....
granny

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/186

Monte Cristo Delights

2 cups Reduced Fat Bisquick
3/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk
1 egg or 1/4 cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product
5 to 6 ounces reduced-fat Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
6 ounces deli-style lean or fat-free ham or turkey ham, very thinly
sliced
6 ounces deli-style lean or fat-free turkey, very thinly sliced
1/3 cup strawberry or raspberry fruit spread
Powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease square baking dish, 8x8x2 inches,
or
spray with cooking spray. Stir Bisquick, milk and egg in medium bowl
until
blended.

Spread half of the dough in bottom of baking dish. Top with half
each of
the cheese, ham and turkey. Spread fruit spread over turkey to
within 1/2
inch of sides of dish. Top with remaining ham, turkey and cheese.
Spread
remaining dough over cheese to sides of dish.

Bake uncovered about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5
minutes
before serving. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar. Serve warm.
6
servings.

Makes 6 servings
____________________________________________________________

This recipe courtesy of Back of the Box Recipes.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/184

Meatloaf Muffins with Barbecue Sauce

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Ingredients
1 2/3 to 1 3/4 pounds ground sirloin
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
2 ribs celery from the heart of the stalk, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper
1 large egg plus a splash of milk, beaten
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning
by McCormick)
1 cup smoky barbecue sauce
1/2 cup tomato salsa
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Put ground beef into a big bowl. Put onion and celery into a food
processor. Cut the bell pepper in
half, rip out the seeds and throw them into your garbage bowl.
Cut
the pepper into a few pieces and
add to the food processor. Pulse the processor blades to finely chop
the vegetables into very small
pieces then add them to the meat bowl. Add egg, beaten with milk,
bread crumbs and grill seasoning
to the bowl.

Next, mix together the smoky barbecue sauce, the salsa
and the Worcestershire sauce.

Pour half the sauce mixture into the bowl with the meatloaf mix.

Mix
the meatloaf together with your
hands. Wash up. Brush a 12-muffin tin (1/2-cup each) with vegetable
oil or extra-virgin olive oil.

Use an ice cream scoop to help you fill meat into a each tin. Top
each meat loaf with a spoonful of
extra sauce. Bake about 20 minutes.

Cut open 1 muffin to test that
the middle is cooked through.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/287

I have posted 3 different kinds of pasta salad below:

Enjoy!

Melissa

ZESTY PASTA SALAD

1/2 c. Miracle Whip
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. milk
1 1/2 c. cubed ham
1 c. corkscrew pasta
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 c. green pepper chunks
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. salt
Lettuce

Combine Miracle Whip, Parmesan cheese and milk. Mix well. Add all
remaining
ingredients except lettuce leaves.

VEGETABLE - PASTA SALAD

1 lb. med.-size pasta shells
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 c. broccoli flowerets
3 c. cauliflowerets
2 lg. carrots, chopped
2 tbsp. finely chopped onion
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. dairy sour cream
2 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
About 1/4 c. milk
Salt & freshly ground pepper (try celery salt instead of regular
salt)
Hot pepper sauce

Colorful as well as tasty, this easy salad will become one of your
favorite
summer recipes. It can be prepared the day before your picnic. Cook
pasta
according to package directions until tender but firm to the bite.
Drain and
rinse with cold water, then drain again. In a medium-size bowl,
combine
pasta, bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflowerets, carrot and onion. In a
small
bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard and milk. Add dressing
to
salad and toss to coat. Season with salt, pepper and hot pepper
sauce. Cover
and refrigerate until chilled. Keep chilled until served. Makes 6 to
8
servings.

VARIATION: For a main-dish salad, add 1 cup chopped ham and 1 cup
shredded cheddar cheese.

PASTA SALAD

1 box lg. red cross vegetable pasta (spiral noodles, colored)
2 bottles Zesty Italian dressing (you can use fat free)
1/2 bottle seasoning salad supreme, McCormick’s
2 cucumbers
1 bunch of green onions, use all of it
1 green pepper
3 carrots, round chop
2 stalks of celery
1 sm. can mario sliced black olives, drained
6 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Cherry red tomatoes (optional)

Stir dressing and seasoning in a bowl while pasta is cooking. Chop:
Mix
noodles, dressing and seasoning and remaining ingredients in a large
bowl.
This makes a lot of salad. You may want to cut recipe in half. Very
good!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/283

CHOCOLATE-COCONUT COOKIE BARS

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

½cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cups flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees for glass baking pan). In
small bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter; mix well.
Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan.

Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumb mixture. Layer
evenly with remaining ingredients; press down firmly with fork.

Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired.
Cut into bars or diamonds. Store leftovers at room temperature.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen bars.

Saw this recipe on the website for our local city paper.
Havent tried it yet,... if you try it, please post your review
on the message board.
Thanks, Melissa

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/264

MOTHER HUBBARD’S SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN
Printed from Cooks.com

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
flour
eggs
1 bell pepper
1 large onion
1 can pineapple chunks
sweet and sour sauce
1 24 oz bottle Catalina salad dressing
1 jar apricot preserves

Cut boneless, skinless chicken breast into cubes. Roll chicken cubes
in flour then in beaten egg then again in the flour.
Fry in hot oil (365-375°F) until chicken is fully cooked and
breading is golden brown.

Add cubed pineapple, bell pepper and onion and continue to cook
until bell pepper and onion are tender.

For sauce:

Combine Catalina dressing and apricot preserves in a saucepan and
heat until preserves are liquefied.
Serve over a bed of rice. My family likes this recipe better than
the sweet and sour chicken at the Chinese restaurants we frequent.

Submitted by: Tereasa Hubbard

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/255

Southwestern Chicken-Biscuit Pot Pie
Prep Time: 20 min ; Start to Finish: 1 hr 10 min

A comforting meal-in-a-bowl is easy when you combine prepared soup
and frozen biscuits.

Diane Leigh Kerekes
Sapulpa, OK
Bake-Off® Contest 42, 2006
$10,000 Receta Rica Award Winner

Ingredients:
1 can (18.5 oz) Progresso® Traditional southwestern-style chicken
soup
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chiles
Cooking spray
1/2 cup frozen extra-sweet whole kernel corn (from 1-lb bag)
1 package (3 oz) diced cooked chicken (2/3 cup)
2 oz Monterey Jack cheese, cut into 4 (3x1x1/8-inch) slices
3 tablespoons chopped roasted red bell peppers (from jar)
2 Pillsbury® Oven Baked frozen southern style biscuits (from 25-oz
bag)
2 to 4 tablespoons sour cream
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives or green onions

Preparation Directions:
1 . Heat oven to 350ºF. Pour soup into 2-cup measuring cup or
bowl. Stir in onion powder, garlic powder and ground chipotle
chiles.
2 . Spray insides of 2 ovenproof 2-cup bowls with cooking spray.
Place 1/4 cup corn and 1/3 cup chicken in each bowl. Pour about 1
cup soup mixture evenly into bowls. Carefully place 2 cheese slices
in center on top of soup in each bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon roasted
peppers evenly around cheese in each. Place biscuits over cheese;
spray biscuits with cooking spray.
3 . Place bowls on cookie sheet; bake 38 to 43 minutes or until
biscuits are golden brown and soup bubbles around edges. Cool 5
minutes before serving. Serve topped with sour cream, chives and
remaining tablespoon roasted peppers.

2 servings

LOL, granny note: Another clean out the refrig, this time to hide under the biscuits....

It is called “Hide the leftovers”.

..granny

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/2golunchandinnerecipes/message/254

Main-Dish Spanish Rice

Source: Better Homes and Gardens
http://www.bhg.com

Start to Finish: 15 minutes

Ingredients
1 14-1/2-ounce can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, cut up
3/4 cup quick-cooking brown rice
2/3 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound thinly sliced cooked beef, cut into strips
1/2 cup salsa
12 7-inch flour tortillas
Plain yogurt (optional)
Sliced green onion (optional)

Directions
1. In a large skillet stir together undrained tomatoes, rice, water,
sugar, garlic powder, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.
Simmer, covered, for 12 to 14 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir
beans, beef, and salsa into rice mixture; heat through.
2. Wrap tortillas in foil; heat in a 350 degree F oven for 10
minutes. To serve, spoon rice mixture onto tortillas; roll up. If
desired, top with yogurt and sliced green onion. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition facts per serving:
calories: 363
total fat: 7g
cholesterol: 29mg
sodium: 510mg
carbohydrate: 57g
fiber: 5g
protein: 22g
vitamin C: 28%
iron: 30%

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