Deep fried Pescado Tilapia con Puerto Rican Rice

Yesterday I made my family's favorite dish Arroz con Pollo or chicken and rice. Today I did something I have always wanted to try, I deep fried a whole fish. We don't have fish markets like in other big cities. We oftentimes have to buy our fish frozen. I was perusing Woodman's and came across these whole Tilapia in the Hispanic section. When I shopped this week, I found them in the clearance bin. The only thing wrong was the package has split open. This was my chance to try to make this.

The fish come whole, are scaled, and the innards removed. They still have their bones in so be careful! I made a seasoned flour with two cups flour, 1 tsp garlic powder, and 2 TBSP Emeril's Essence. 

In a wok I added two cups of vegetable oil and heated it to 375 degrees. I had a thermometer on the side of the pan to insure I kept a constant temperature.  I fried mine for 5 minutes per side and it came out nice and flaky. I flipped with a metal spoon on either side. The last thing you want is hot oil to splatter.  You can eat the skin but I don't recommend eating the fins. They are very sharp and crunchy. I made one at a time and held one on a baking sheet in a warmed oven. 

Serve along with your favorite rice. You could make this fish Asian style with 5 spice powder and Hoisin Sauce too. Serve with white rice. 

Puerto Rican Rice 

2 cups long grain rice 

4 cups chicken broth

2-3 TBSP tomato paste

2 TBSP chicken bouillon 

1 onion diced 

12-15 olive with pimento 

2 TBSP capers optional 

2-4 pieces ham diced 

2 TBSP oil 

I love making Arroz con Pollo. In that case I use 4-5 bone in chicken thighs. I coat them in flour seasoned with Adobo and fry on each side for 8-10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. If not using the chicken, just go on to the next step. Add the onions and saute' for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and saute another 2 or so minutes. Add the rice and coat with the oil or chicken grease. Then add the liquid and the chicken pieces back in on top of the broth along with the ham and olives. Bring to a boil and turn the heat to low. Cover with a lid. Without chicken cook for 20 minutes. With the chicken, cook on the stove for 25-30 minutes. Remove this chicken and add the chicken bouillon, Stir the rice and check for flavor. 

I like to make a lot of rice. Just make sure use the 2:4 ratio. It's even better the next day and your family will love it!  

Greek Style Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs and Rice In the Oven

One of my youngest favorite dishes is Arroz con Pollo or Chicken and Rice. I am a big fan of Greek Style chicken. If you make the Arroz con Pollo stove top, the skin looses it's crispiness in the broth. This way, the chicken still has a crunchy skin with a little time in the oven. The marinade leaves the chicken with an added zing. You can marinate for as little as 30 minutes or up to two hours.
This will be a favorite of your family too! Chicken thighs are very economical. You can get a bag of frozen under $3.00 or wait for thighs to go on sale fresh at the grocery store. I used a cast iron skillet. I don't have a lid for it so I covered it with tin foil. Any oven ready pot will do.

Greek Style Chicken Thighs
Marinade
4 TBSP lemon juice
1 whole lemon zested, sliced, and juice reserve
1 TBSP Italian Seasoning
4 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp salt

4-6 bone in chicken thighs
2 TBSP oil
1 medium onion
2 cups rice (long grain)
4 cups chicken broth
3/4 cups water
10-12 Kalamata olives
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
a pinch of pepper

Firstly clean your thighs under some cool water. Pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice, zest, lemon slices. Italian seasoning, and salt to a zip loc bag. Add the chicken thighs and let marinade for 30 minutes to two hours.

In a cast iron skillet, heat the oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade reserving the lemons and marinade. Place chicken skin side down in the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Let brown for 10 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and add the reserved marinade. Add the onion and brown for 2-3 minutes. Add the rice and brown for another 2 minutes.
Next add the chicken broth  Return the chicken to the skillet and bring up to a boil. Cover the chicken with the reserved lemon slices Add the olives and cover the pan with foil. Carefully put in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 10 minutes. The chicken should be done but always check that the juices run clear and the temperature is 160 degrees.
Season rice with salt and pepper to taste.

Arroz con Pollo Puerto Rican Style

Last night I made one of my hubbys favorties Arroz con Pollo or rice with chicken. It is very easy to make and makes a lot of food. I had chicken thighs on sale at my store but I have also used chicken wings and drumsticks for this dish. To make it Puerto Rican style I added gandules or green pigeon peas and ham. Also the addition of capers and green olives. http://tinkmomfoodie-foodobsession.blogspot.com/2011/01/thank-god-its-friday.html. I have added and changed a few things for the Puerto Rican rice.

4 chicken thighs
2 chicken drumsticks
2 chicken wings
2 cups long grain rice         
4 cups chicken stock
2 TBSP tomato paste
1 TBSP capers
2 turns of olive oil
1/4 c olives chopped
Adobo seasoning
flour for dredging
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp achote seeds (may be omitted)
1 large onion diced
1/2 cup chopped ham
chicken soup base or boullion

In a separate pan take achote seeds and brown them in olive oil for about 2 minutes. The seeds should not burn or it will leave a burnt flavor to your oil. Remove seeds with a spoon. Reserve oill until the browning of the rice step.

Coat a large stock pot with the olive oil and bring the heat up until the oil is shimmering. Dredge the chicken in flour, paprika, and garlic salt.   Place chicken in pot skin side down. Brown on both sides about 4 minutes each. Remove from pot. Brown onion in achote oil until translucent scraping the bits of chicken off the bottom of the pot. Add 2 cups of long grain rice and stir til golden brown about 2 minutes.  Add chicken stock, tomato paste,capers, and ham. Bring to a boil. When to a boil add chicken back into the pot reduce heat and cover with lid. Do not peek. Simmer on low for 15-25 minutes.(depends on the rice you are using I use Riceland long grain rice) At 15 minutes test a grain of rice for doneness.  After 25minutes take off lid and add drained gandules. Serve and enjoy!

Taking a Break from Cooking for the Next Few Days

Today is nearly one hundred degrees out and the weather is going to be the same for the next few days. The plan is to not cook anything that requires the oven or cooking inside. Today we used the last of our Quiznos Groupon so I didn't have to cook at all tonight. Groupon is a coupon that is availble to a certain number of people. If you enough people buy in you get the Groupon. http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1531594

I also bought one today for boot camp. I am not too sure about this one! It means I will have to work out and sweat! I bought one for my hubby too so he will have to come with me. Misery loves company right?

I am hoping to get to the store on Wednesday. Last night I made my hubby's favorite arroz con polo.
Here is the link to the blog. http://tinkmomfoodie-foodobsession.blogspot.com/search?q=arroz+con+polloThis time I didn't have the chicken boulion so I used one of the flazor packets from a pack of chicken Ramen noodles. (my youngest loves them) I also ran out of onion so I used green onions instead. The chicken thighs I usually have on hand. Whenever they go on sale I divide them up and freeze them. The rice was my lunch today.

I have a taste for dumplings. If it weren't a million degrees out I may make some.

No More Ham!... For A While! Split Pea Soup

I wrapped up the last of our 14lb ham last night and tucked it safely away in the freezer. Not before making one last ham dish, Split Pea Soup. Our ham was ginormous and way too much for a family of four.

The weather has been so cold here. I am in Wisconsin and this is winter after all. We have had a mild winter so far so I really can't complain! Nothing sounds better to me on one of those days than a nice warm bowl of soup. Split Pea is one of those soups you can make really cheaply. The 16 ounce bag of dried peas was less than a dollar. It made a huge kettle of soup. I also use this soup base. It comes in a huge container for under $4.00 and I use it in everything including Arroz con Pollo.


Back to the soup... I save my ham bone if I have one. If you don't have one you can also used a ham hock. These are very inexpensive in the meat department but give amazing flavor. You will also need 3 carrots cleaned and cut into coins, one peeled whole onion,  two potatoes pealed and diced, 3-4 TBSP chicken soup base, and 6-8 cups of water. Season with one TBSP salt and a dash pepper. Don't forget to add two whole bay leaves.

Wash and sort the split peas and get rid of any ones that catch your eye, Add the peas, diced ham, ham hock, or ham bone,  and the water along with the salt. Let boil for one hour on medium low heat. At this time you can add the veggies. The veggies are very hearty and will hold up to long cooking. Continue to boil for another hour. Mix occasionally so the peas won't stick to the bottom of the pot. Then add the chicken soup base and taste for flavoring. At this time you can also add the pepper and more soup base if you need it. The soup will thicken when it sits. If you have a ham bone or hock remove and let cool and pick the ham off and add it back to the soup. Be sure to remove the Bay leaves and serve with your favorite crusty bread made into croutons or a bunch of crackers. This is one of the soups that really is better on the second day!

Cuisinart Classic Stockpot - 8-QUART - Cuisinart Chef's Classic (Google Affiliate Ad)

Puerto Rican Rice and Pernil or Roast Pork

I have been so busy with school this semester that I hardly have time to think. Sunday is both "Special Breakfast Day" for us and "Special Dinner Day."  It's the one day of the week I can put a long cooking chicken or roast in the oven and sit around. Ok I did do some errands today but now I am relaxing before I have to study. This dish is pretty much set it and forget. The rice comes together in 20 minutes. Together they are a marriage made in Heaven. 

Pernil 

Early in the morning take the roast out of the fridge. Use a knife to make little slits on the top of the roast. My roast had a thin layer of  fat. If you have a thicker layer of fat, use a knife to get under the fat and then make the slits on the roast. Mine was a 4lb sirloin pork roast. To the slits add minced garlic. I use the pre-cut one from a jar. (Travesty I know!) Next salt the entire roast and use two packets of Sazon with Achiote and Cumin and rub it on the outside and underneath the roast.

roast marinated

 Place in a small pan and cover with foil. Let marinate for a few hours. I started my roast around 1PM. I added water to a large roasting pan and then the roast. (It's important to keep the pan covered with water or you will have smoke!) Season  the roast with Adobo with cumin and cover the entire roasting pan with foil. Add to a preheated 350 degree oven. 

I baked the roast for 3 1/2 hours. I increased the oven temp. to 450 degrees.  It was now time to crisp the skin.  I removed the roast from the oven, removed the tin foil, and placed a marinade of 2 TBSP oil, 2TBSP lemon juice, and 1 tsp. Oregano, salt, and pepper.  Bake for 20-25 more minutes. The roast should measure 160 on a meat thermometer. Some say less  but I like to be sure it's done. 

Puerto Rican Rice

This is the rice I normally make in my Arroz con Pollo or chicken and rice. My youngest daughter goes wild for this! My only different addition was a pack of Sazon and some ham. You will love this rice too! I had black beans on hand but you can also use gandules or green pigeon peas. 

2 cups long grain rice

4 cups chicken broth

1 small onion diced 

1 tsp minced garlic

2 TBSP tomato paste

1 pack Sazon

10 green olives 

2 thick pieces ham

1 TBSP chicken bouillon (optional)

olive oil 

Add one to two TBSP oil to the bottom of a large stock pot. Brown the onions for 3 minutes or so and add the tomato paste. Again brown for another 2-3 minutes. Add the two cups of rice and once again brown in the oil for another few minutes. You are coating and browning the rice. Add the broth, garlic, Sazon, olives, diced ham, and chicken bouillon. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and no peeking for 15-20 minutes. Let sit on the stove top for 5 minutes before serving.  Add additional bouillon if needed. At the last minute I also add the beans before serving. 

Spicy Jerk Chicken Stew..Turn Up The Heat!

I am a big fan of Andrew Zimmern and "Bizarre Foods" on the TravelChannel. This week he visited Jamaica. It just so happens I got this recipe from Food.com in my email this week about a Jerk stew. One of my husbands' favorite dishes is Arroz con Pollo. This dish is a take on grandma's chicken fricasse'. It does have a kick though even though I removed all the seeds and spines. You may want to use one whole jalapeno diced and seeds removed instead. My whole family ate this dish however. We like the spice!

Jerk Chicken Stew

5 Habeneros diced or 1 jalapeno seeded and diced

2 TBSP fresh thyme

1 bunch green onion

2 TBSP Allspice powder (otherwise you will be fishing out the seeds)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 c vinegar

1 c beer

2 cups chicken stock

3 cups water

3 cloves garlic

2 TBSP flour

1 onion diced

4 carrots chopped

4 ribs celery

2 lg sweet potatoes cut into chunks

5 pieces chicken thighs

5 pieces chicken drumsticks

olive oil 1/4 cup plus 2 TBSP

Note: be sure not to touch your face or eyes after you touch the habenero!

First thing get all the prep out of the way. Chop all your veggies. Keep the carrots celery, onion, and garlic, on one plate. Chop the sweet potatoes into large chunks.

In a food processor add the thyme(stems included), Allspice, habeneros, salt and pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and about 1/4 cup olive oil. Begin to grind into a paste. Make sure you have the feed whole covered. You do not want to get this in your eyes!

notice I used whole Allspice

Next begin to brown the chicken pieces. Season each with salt and pepper.  Heat about Each batch takes about 10 minutes to brown. The chicken will not release from the bottom of the pot until it's ready to be turned. Leave the juices in the pot.

After all the pieces are browned remove them to a ceramic plate. Throw in all the veggies except for the sweet potatoes.

Brown for 2-3 minutes. Add the flour and stir in. Brown for another two minutes. Next add in the Jerk paste and brown for 1-2 minutes. Add the beer, vinegar, water, and stock. Also add the sweet potatoes and make sure they are covered by broth. Add the chicken back in and the juices from the plate. Cook on medium high flame for 1 hour. Serve over white rice with cornbread.

Something New Today....

In my house we are always trying out new recipes. Sometimes I make 2-3 new things a week. My kids have a pretty broad palette. I ask that they try out things once and if they don't like them they don't have to eat them. My hubby and my two children do not like onions but that hasn't stopped me from incorporating them into our diet.

Here is a pic of my daughter trying escargot on the Wonder and she actually liked it!

I was in my doctors office the other day and saw this recipe for Lamb Tagine. Then the problem. When I got to my grocery store they didn't have lamb. So I settled on veal. They say you can substitute chicken but I used my chicken earlier this week in Arroz con Pollo.

Veal and lamb both have different tastes so I am not sure how this will turn out. I browned the veal in some EVOO and flour before dumping it into the crock pot and use the chicken broth to reduce get the brown bits out of the pan. I have it set to cook all day when I am at work. I have always wanted to eat at Marakesh at Epcot and am thinking about being there when making this.  I added only 2 sweet potatoes. It came out very sweet but my family ate it all up.

from Women's Day magazine:

Recipe Ingredients

• 1 large sweet onion, sliced
• 2 lb boneless leg of lamb or lamb stew meat, cut into 1 1⁄2-in. pieces, visible fat trimmed
• 1 cup each dried apricots and prunes
• 1 Tbsp each minced garlic and pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (14.5 oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed
• 1 box (10 oz) whole-wheat couscous
• 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds, optional

Recipe Preparation

1. Mix onion, lamb, apricots, prunes, garlic, pumpkin pie spice, salt, pepper and bay leaf in a 4-qt or larger slow cooker. In a bowl, whisk broth and tomato paste until combined; pour into slow cooker. Nestle whole sweet potatoes into stew. 2. Cover and cook on high 5 to 6 hours or on low 7 to 9 hours until lamb and potatoes are tender. 3. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board; discard bay leaf. Cut potatoes into wedges. 4. Prepare couscous as package directs; serve with stew and potatoes. Serve with almonds if desired. Variations 1. Use 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead of the lamb. Cook on high 4 to 6 hours or on low 6 to 8 hours until chicken is tender. 2. Substitute 4 lamb shanks (12 to 14 oz each) for the leg of lamb or stew meat. Cook on high 6 to 8 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours until lamb is tender. 3. Instead of whole sweet potatoes, add 4 carrots (halved lengthwise, then cut into 1-in. pieces) and 2 cans (15.5 oz each) chickpeas, rinsed. Finishing Touches Top with sesame seeds instead of almonds. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro or mint. Before serving, add 2 tsp grated orange

Chicken En Mole' Love This Recipe!

Who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter?  This is my second time making this recipe from the Sandwich King on Foodnetwork. Some Mexican mole' sauces have up to 20 ingredients. This cuts down on the ingredients but not on flavor! We are used to spice here in our house but you can adjust the spice by cutting down on the number of peppers you use. The recipe calls for almond butter which is pricey. This recipe also works well with chunky peanut butter. The recipe is for pulled chicken. I used chicken quarters which are very cost effective. I paid under $4.00 for twelve quarters which are the thigh and drumstick together. I also froze the left over sauce and can use it another day.

Chicken En Mole' sauce

6 chicken thighs or quarters
2 TBSP chocolate chopped (I used a 70% chocolate)
2 New Mexico dried chilies
2 TBSP toasted sesame seeds
1 small onion diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup rasins
1-2 diced chilies in Adobo (these add a lot of heat)
1 can diced tomatoes drained (14oz)
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper

I browned the chicken in a separate pan first making sure to season both sides well. I made sure there was a good color on both sides which took about 12 minutes.

In a large stock pot I added the onion and a bit of oil and browned them until they were translucent. In a 350 degree oven I put the dried chilies on a baking pan and baked them for 5 minutes until they were pliable and I was able to take the seeds and stem off. I then chopped the peppers into small pieces. The Adobo chilies were added along with the garlic, chocolate, and peanut butter, diced tomatoes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the cinnamon and clove.
Once the chocolate and peanut butter melted I added the chicken stock and heated on a low heat for 20 minutes.  Then the mixture is put in a blender and pulsed several times. Be sure to take the middle cap out of the blender lid and cover with a clean towel. You may have a volcano on your hands so pulse slowly!

I added the mole' back to the large stock pot and then put the chicken meat side down in the liquid. I covered the pot and let simmer on low heat for 25-30 minutes. This process is similar to making Arroz con pollo.

At this point you can decide to shred your meat of  keep it whole. I kept it whole but served it over rice with tortillas and beans. If you like a thicker sauce, you can reduce it for another 5-10 minutes. I love the combination of sweet and spicy. The sauce is great when sopped up by a tortilla!

I freeze the Adobo chilies in freezer bags and pull out when I need them. 

Cheesy Beef Enchiladas and Rapido Sauce

My family loves Mexican food! I make something Mexican related at least 3 times a week. This is one of my family's favorites, Cheesy Beef Enchiladas. It can be on your table in 30 minutes. My only note is for the sauce to gradually add the chili powder and taste the sauce. Adjust the amount according to your taste.

Another great thing about this recipe is you can choose what kind of tortillas you want to use, either flour or corn. If you are using the corn, you need to warm them up so they don't crack. You can also choose what type of beans you would like to add. I happened to make a huge batch of kidney beans a few weeks ago and added a bag of them I had in the freezer. You are also able to choose the meat you would like to use. I have made these with turkey in the past but am using ground beef today. Cheese you can choose an authentic cheese or opt for the cheddar as I did.

Cheesy Beef Enchiladas with Mexican Rice

1 package flour tortillas
1 lb ground beef browned
1 cup beans of your choice
1 cup taco cheese shredded
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 can of water
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt

Start the sauce in a large sauce pan adding all the ingredients from the crushed tomatoes to salt. I gradually added the chili powder according to taste.  I didn't have to use a roux or flour thickener as I used crushed tomatoes and not tomato sauce. Simmer on low. Brown the ground beef and drain off fat. Season with salt and stir. Add the beans and a ladle full of the simmering sauce. Let the flavors meld for about 2-3 minutes.
The sauce should be ready in about 10 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Using a ladle, add the sauce to the bottom of a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish. (I know mine has seen better days)
Add a tortilla and then a few spoons full of the meat mixture. Roll into a cigar shape with the seam side down.. Repeat the process adding more sauce to the bottom of the cooking dish as you go. Someone always eats tortillas out of the package so I never have 12! I used to make 2 cheese and onion enchiladas specifically for my vegetarian daughter. I would lay them a different way in the dish so I would know.

Next ladle the rest of the sauce and any remaining meat and beans over the entire rolled tortillas in the dish.  Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve with the Mexican rice below and sour cream. Sometimes I also serve with avocado.







Mexican Rice

1 1/2 cups long grain rice
2 1/2 cups water
3 TBSP achiote seeds
1 TBSP Knorr tomato/chicken flavoring

I use a 3 cup rice cooker which makes life so much easier. I also use the achiote seeds when making my famous Arroz con Pollo. The achiote seeds add a nutty flavor to the rice. You can also make this stove top by following your rice package instructions.

They are very easy to use. You just need a non stick small frying pan and about 2 TBSP oil. Add about 3 TBSP of the achiote seeds to the pan and bring up to temperature until a red color begins to release from the seeds. Do not burn. Use a spoon to remove the seeds.

Add directly to the rice in the rice cooker as well as the chicken flavoring. Once the rice cooker is finished cooking mix the rice to incorporate the oil and bullion. Check for flavor and add more bullion if necessary. Serve with the enchiladas.

Greek Style Chicken with Feta and Kalamata Couscous

I was going to save this for Sunday dinner but I was at the point I really needed to use my chicken or freeze it. I did both. I used the breasts and drumsticks for my Greek style chicken and froze the thighs and wings for Arroz con Pollo later on in the week. For the recipe I also roasted a few potatoes in the pan with the chicken. I originally was going to make rice pilaf as a side but it didn't make it into my cart.

2 large chicken breasts
2 drumsticks (or use one fryer chicken)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 c lemon juice (bottled) plus
1 whole lemon juiced and sliced
1 TBSP Italian seasoning
Salt and Pepper
6 potatoes quartered with skins left on

Pre-heat oven to 350. In a small bowl add olive oil, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and mix. Run chicken under water and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Wash and quarter the potatoes. Add potatoes to the bottom of a roasting pan and pour 1/4 of the oil mixture over the potatoes. Place Chicken pieces in between the potatoes and baste the chicken with the olive oil/lemon mixture. Top with the lemon slices. Place in the heated oven. Continue to baste the chicken every 15 minutes with the marinade. The chicken breasts I used were really big so I had to bake them for a hour and 15 minutes but you may start checking your chicken for doneness at the 45 minute mark. It is done when the juices run clear and the meat is a temp of 160 degrees.  Also when you baste the chicken give the potatoes a turn and salt them.

Feta and Kalamata Couscous

10 Kalamata olives (pitted are best)
1/4 c feta cheese
1 c couscous
1 c chicken stock
1 TBSP butter
pinch of salt and pepper

Boil the chicken stock. Add couscous and cover. Remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes fluff with fork and add butter, feta, and Kalamata olives. Serve with the chicken.

Budget Shopping 101 and Chicken Subs Plus Weekly Plan

I went grocery shopping this week with a pretty limited budget of $80.00. I spent $70 and saved $12.00 in coupons. One of the best budget savers I can mention is paying attention to your check out total. I carry a calculator with me so I don't have sticker shock in the checkout. I also only shop on double coupon day.  I didn't double any coupons today. I generally double coupons I can get items for free. For example last week Ritz cheese crackers were $2.00/ each and I doubled a dollar coupon getting them for free. I also did the same thing with Krafts new home style dinners.

Today I returned some Childrens' Claritin because they must have been in the wrong place and when I got home and checked my receipt it was a whopping $5.00 more. I got a $12.00 credit on that one. Our store has a policy if the sticker is different than the checkout price you get the item for free. There were a lot of price differences today. I got mushrooms marked down to $1.39 because they were in the wrong place.

The operative word of the week is "Chicken."  Chicken is a great budget extender. Today I purchased chicken thighs at .89 cents/lb. I will be making several different things throughout the week with it. I also purchase a 3lb bag of boneless skinless chicken breast every week.

Here is the menu for the week:
Chicken and mushroom subs in the crock pot
Arroz con pollo (making Puerto Rican rice with the ham from Easter)
Chicken and Shrimp Etouffee and Zatarains rice (which I got for free for hosting a Houseparty)
Curried Chicken Salad sandwiches with pecans and apple
Hot dogs and brats on the grill
Friday Movie night (Groupon sent me free tickets for Thor) and Groupon dinner

Crock Pot Chicken and Mushroom Subs

1 loaf French Bread cut into 4 (makes 4 subs)
1 jar speghetti sauce
1 cup mushrooms chopped
4 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 per person)
shredded cheese for topping
1 cup green pepper sliced (optional)

This is very easy to put together. Throw all the ingredients in a crock pot and set on high for 4 hours or low for 8. Right before serving remove the chicken from crock pot and chop into bite sized pieces. Place the chicken back into the sauce. Serve over French bread. Top with cheese. For an extra crunch place bread in a broiler for 5 minutes. Note: I used Ragu sauce and omitted putting water in it but if you notice your sauce is burning on the sides add about 1/4 c water.

Weekly Shopping Trip and Menu for the Next Week Plus Reubens

I went grocery shopping yesterday. I spent a bit over my budget. I wanted to spend around $60 but ended up spending $82 and saving $39 in coupons. I also got $10 off instantly off at checkout for buying 6 General Mills Cereals and earned a free milk for next time.

I got 50 bonus box tops for my DD's school too! If you bought three Grands rolls you got free eggs. And if you bought their meal deal which was boneless skinless chicken breasts you got free carrots, onion, and shrooms. On top of that it was double coupon day so I saved another $10.00 there getting a whole bunch of pantry items for little to no cost. It's a shame that my store only lets me double up to 5 coupons. I would love to go coupon crazy!

So the plan at least til Wednesday is:

taco salad over tortilla chips and with french dressing
Tonight Reubens with the left over corned beef
biscuit and chicken pot pie
spaghetti
oven fried baked tilapia
arroz con pollo or tortilla chicken soup
bubble pizza made with biscuits
sausage gravy over biscuits maybe a breakfast for dinner at the end of the week
chicken picatta

homemade shamrock shakes.. I didn't get to have one at Mickey D's
root beer cupcakes

Easy Pleasy Reubens

Left over corned beef sliced
1 can Frank's Kraut 2 TBSP kraut per sandwich
2 TBSP Thousand Island Dressing per sandwich
Beefsteak Rye bread
Swiss cheese
butter (we use Country Crock for Spreading)

This is just as easy as making a grilled cheese but a thousand times better! I like to get all my ingredients out and assemble the sandwich in the grilling pan. I first butter one slice and place in a hot pan and smear the Thousand Island on with a spoon add the kraut, and the corned beef. Top with the cheese. Butter the top slice of bread. Spread the remainder of the dressing on the back side of the bread and top the Reuben. Flip over after about 2-3 minutes when a nice crust forms. There is just something about the left over BBQ sauce from the night before that adds something to the sandwich.

I have a taste for soup today so I might make us some tomato.