Ash of All Trades

Ever have those extra hot dog/hamburger buns or bread that is almost too old to eat. Turn it into a simple weeknight side dish - garlic bread! This simple idea saves food from the trash and costs no extra money! For buns - slice in half and spread with butter. Sprinkle some garlic powder (or garlic salt) and parsley flakes. You could add chile flakes if you so desire. Add some Parmesan cheese (or any cheese you have). Broil until crispy (5-10 minutes depending on your bread). Serve with almost any meal! What are your quick time and food saving recipes?

Whew - it feels good to be blogging again!  These last few (well almost 6 weeks) I have been stepping in as an administrative assistant at my old job and thus things have been quite busy around here.  While I am not done helping out we should have a little reprieve and the posts should be more regular (although they probably won't be daily still).  Thank you for all the stop ins while I was away - you all are the best! Here is our menu for the week: Monday: Egg McMuffins (homemade), Mangos Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Cheez Its, Carrots, Blueberries Cheese Enchiladas, Refried Beans, Spanish Rice, Corn Tuesday: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread , Persimmons, Yogurt Egg Salad Sandwiches, Cheez Its, Apples Pasta Carbonera with Lemon & Leeks , Garlic Bread, Salad Wednesday: Egg McMuffins , Persimmons Potato Soup , Garlic Bread, Salad Tacos, Nachos, Peas Thursday: Chocolate Chip Banana Bread , Apples w/peanut butter Soup & Grilled Cheese, Pears Breakf...

Cheap apples at the stores this week - made me really wan to make this: Homemade canned applesauce! I searched the Internet high and low and didn't find a recipe I liked so I took a whole bunch and combined them all! Start by washing your apples! Core and slice your apples. Then peel them. Place peeled apples in a large dutch oven. Add 1.5 cups of water.  Add 1/2 cup brown sugar. (You could do sugar free but I used "sour" granny smith's) Add 1 cinnamon stick - for a light cinnamon flavor. If you love cinnamon applesauce increase to 2-4. Bring the water at the bottom to a boil over high heat. Then stir. Cover and cook on medium heat for 30-35 minutes. Stirring every 15 minutes. When they are done cool for a minute or two! Puree with a stick blender stuck right into the pot. Here is your end product!!!!! Delicious Applesauce! Recipe: 6.5 lbs of apples (at least two kinds - I used...

Here is our yummy version of a sausage potato packet...I am sure plenty of people make many varities of these and I hear they are great when camping but I like to make them at home! Use one Hillshire Farms sausage link. Cut it up into bite size pieces. Get some fresh or frozen bell peppers and onions. A few potatoes.  (4 for the four of us). Wash them. Poke holes in them. Cook for 2-3 minutes (not all the way) just enough for the cooking process to have started.  This way you don't have to wait 40 minutes for the potatoes to cook on the bbq. Add the sausage to a strip of foil. For a packet with some heat - chop a jalapeno or other chili. Add the potatoes, bell peppers, onion, (chilies) and olive oil. You can peal the potatoes or leave them whole - they get a bit crispier if you leave the skin on! Spread some garlic salt over the top. Mix with your hands to coat a bit. Cover with another piece of foil that is ni...

Yummy a bowl of chicken tortilla soup!  Well we aren't having that this week but we are having another great one: Albondigas (sometimes known as Mexican Meatball Soup)!  While we are hoping to have some fallish weather I think sunny SoCal is going to stay warm again this week...oh well.  This time of year is always relatively busy and we have been thankful for our meal plan keeping food from being something else we have to "deal" with - well at least thinking up meals - there is always cooking and cleaning to be done.  To everyone visiting from Passionate Homemaking - thank you for visiting!  I hope your meal planning is going well for you and hope that you can find something delicious from the list below: Breakfasts: Bagels with Cream Cheese, Honeydew Melon, Yogurt Scrambled Eggs, Blueberries, Toast with jam or butter Granola Bars, Grapes, Yogurt Bagels with Peanut Butter, Honeydew Melon, Yogurt Cereal, Pomegranates, Yogurt Pancakes, Pomegranates, ...

 I cannot believe that it is the middle of October already - this year is truly flying by.  The weather this past week was super hot (100+ degrees) so we are definitely ready for the cool down this week (to the mid 80s haha).  This week I will mix a little fall flare with some summertime BBQ since it is dark early but still warm.  Most of the recipes this week are ones we have created over time or adapted from other recipes and I will be posting more about them in the coming weeks! Breakfasts: Oatmeal, Blueberries, Yogurt French Toats, Yogurt, Peaches Pancakes, Apples, Yogurt Scrambled Eggs, Toast, Pears Granola Bars, Raisins, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins, Blueberries, Yogurt Chocolate Chip Muffins, Apples, Peanut Butter Lunches: Egg Salad Sandwiches, Pears, Carrot Sticks Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Apples, Carrot Sticks Ham Sandwiches, Raisins, Graham Crackers Loaded Chicken Quesadillas Pasta with butter sauce, peas, peaches Chicken Nugge...

 Green Enchiladas Recipe (the semi quick semi homemade way)!  Heat half a big can of enchilada sauce in a shallow skillet.  Heat a skillet of canola oil. You want it to cover the corn tortillas for sure and be about an inch or more deep.  Once the oil is heated place the tortilla in and fry for 15 seconds. Flip over with tongs and fry another 15 seconds or so. You don't want them crispy but you also want to make sure they aren't as raw.  You can add chopped or shredded chicken if you like! Yes I like it...no the Hubs does not. The girls are undecided some days they do and some not so much.  Have your shredded cheese ready in a bowl.  Place a thin layer of sauce at the bottom of the Pyrex baking dish. Then dip your fried tortilla in the heated enchilada sauce and lay in the pan. Layer your chicken (if using) and then cheese.   Roll the enchilada and repeat to make as many as desired. Th...

This week we will continue celebrating the Hubby's birthday since he gets a day off this week instead of last week on his actual birthday!  Above are the cupcakes we served him - all you have to do is make your favorite brownie recipe/mix and pour into muffin liners then bake for about half the time of the original recipe (the girls each picked a candle holder)! This week we will be making some delicious food and trying to stay away from the oven as it is supposed to be "warm" again - about mid 80s (supposedly).  Other than that we will keep busy with daddy's day off, library time, soccer practice, and all other things called life. Our menu for the week: Breakfasts: Oatmeal, Blueberries, Hard Boiled Egg Life Cereal, Pears, Yogurt with Jam Blueberry Pancakes, Yogurt French Toast, Egg, Apples Granola Bars, Raisins, Milk Eggs, Toast, Oranges Cereal, Pears Lunches: Egg Salad Sandwiches, Crackers, Carrots, Pears Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Animal Coo...

I LOVE potatoes - just so you know where we are starting off from.  The hubby, he loves potatoes too - if they are mashed, fried, twice baked, or in a stew - his words not mine.  Mashed potatoes are heavenly however plain old mashed potatoes must have gravy and well gravy can be a pain to make - especially when you always forget about it until oh I don't know when dinner is already on the table!  So one day I made up these potatoes (and maybe everyone already does this but I hadn't heard of them)! Take about 5 potatoes (out of the 10 lb bag - if you buy the BIG individual baking ones you probably need 2-3) Peel your potatoes - then give them a good wash! Chop them up (the smaller the pieces the quicker to cook). Place in a pot and cover with water (just so they are covered - again less water means faster cooking) Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on Medium Low Heat about 10 mins for small chunks But basically until you can brea...