Have You Heard?

If you spend even half the time on the Internet that I do, you have probably come to the same conclusion as me. If you see something "new" once, you will see it again 100 times over in the next 24 hours; and it might not even be that new to begin with.

Over the last month I've seen recipes for Mississippi Pot Roast everywhere it seems. From my online life to my personal "real" one, it's become a part of an everyday conversation. So, it was time I found out what all the fuss was about.

When I hear of an old recipe, one that has been around forever, and I want to learn more I start in one place. What I like to call my old school cookbooks. The ones passed down to me from grandma, many of them coming from church ladies. After all, those women knew how to cook and were always willing to share their foodie wisdom.

So there it was, a recipe for this now famous Mississippi Pot Roast; and not just one recipe, there were a few different versions. Taking ingredients from a few of them, I had a recipe I could easily make with stuff I already had on hand. Then I decided to take it a step further and turn the meat into a bite sized sandwich perfect for any weeknight!

These sliders might be small, but they are BIG on flavor! Juicy, tender meat with deep, rich flavors on soft pillowy rolls...my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Be willing to try something new, even if it isn't really that new. You just might find something you never knew you wanted or liked so much!

Mississippi Roast Sliders

1 (3 lb.) beef chuck roast

1 stick butter

1 envelope ranch dip mix

1 envelope onion soup mix

1/3 c. sliced pepperoncini pepper rings, extra for garnish

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dinner Rolls

Spray slow cooker with nonstick spray. Season roast on both sides with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker. Sprinkle with ranch mix. Then onion soup mix. Top with stick of butter. Pour peppers around roast. Place on LOW and cook for 6-8 hours. When beef is done, shred and return to slow cooker and mix with juices. Spoon onto dinner rolls, top with extra juice and extra pepper rings.

Shared on The Country Cook May 15, 2015

Stretching Your Grocery Store Budget {Indiana Family of Farmers}

Each week when Americans head to our local grocery store, we fill our carts with items on our list, we compare prices, we search for bargains, we clip coupons. All in the name of saving money. Stretching our budget. And I know so many of you are in the same boat as me...we wish our grocery budget would stretch just a little further. I notice prices going up each and every week on the items we buy the most. It's frustrating. 

But in reality, did you know we in this country spend a smaller percentage of our income on food than any other country in the world? At just under 10%, we are at the bottom of the list! And when we consider food consumed at home specifically (vs. eating out), the U.S. leads affordability with only 6.6% of American incomes going toward the grocery bill. 

I'm not going to lie. When I found out those statistics, and looked at the chart above, I was shocked. I guess you don't realize just how good you've got it, until you learn what others in this world are dealing with. Just another example of "the grass is always greener on the other side" until you learn it's not; and you just need to be thankful for the resources available to us. 

Now, while it's a fact America has one of the most affordable food supplies in the world, that doesn't mean your budget isn't any less strained. And making a food budget work in today's economy is something we can all agree is a challenge. So, in that spirit, my good friends at Indiana Family of Farmers have come up with a 4 part blog series, Affordable Food Options For Your Family, From Ours. During this series, bloggers like myself will be sharing our tips, ideas and options for your family. 

Our first challenge? How many meals can we make for $50? The guidelines? Every meal must have some form of meat protein. The plans can include breakfast, lunch and/or dinner options or all the same type of meal. Cost of pantry staples (flour, sugar, spices, etc.) do not have to be included in the $50 budget. 

I was happy to step up to the challenge. Below you will find my meal plan for $50 (for me, this means 3 dinner options), links to recipes I already have online, tips as to why I chose each one, and a brand new recipe I think you'll be very excited about!

$50 Budget Meal Plan 

Meal #1

Chicken and Green Chile Enchilada Casserole

Chips n Salsa

Meal # 2

Sausage and Cheese Quiche

Oven Baked Home Fries

Toast

Meal #3

Creamy Crock Pot Spaghetti

Olive Garden Salad (see recipe below)

My Tips for Stretching a Grocery Budget

1. Sale Prices: When you saw a chicken dish on the menu, did you think I was crazy? Chicken can be one of the most expensive items at the grocery store. But for me it's simple. I don't buy it, unless it's on sale. Wait for those great deals. Usually at least one store around us has it on sale every week. 

2. Casseroles So, you've bought the chicken on sale, but there isn't enough in one package to feed your whole family. But wait. What if you stretch that amount by adding other ingredients and make a casserole? It's a great way to make a smaller amount of protein feed a large number of people. 

3. Make Your Own vs. Bottled That salsa recipe? It can be made for pennies on the dollar compared to buying the already jarred. Sure, it's going to take a few extra minutes, but not only does it taste better, it goes further for less money. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about paying a few extra pennies for convenience, but in this case, making my own is a win win.  

4. Breakfast for Supper In this house, traditional breakfast foods for dinner are a huge treat. And I know many families that agree with us. But besides just being delicious, it's a great way to save some money too. Foods you typically eat in the morning tend to be a little less pricey than dinner foods. Sausage vs. steak for example. Potatoes. Bread. All things that can be economical and easily feed a crowd. 

5. Freezer Beef For our family one of the biggest ways we save money is by always having a surplus of beef in our chest freezer. Sure, the initial cost of a 1/4 or 1/2 beef may be a little salty, but in the end I can tell you from first hand experience just how much money it saves you. Having beef (or other proteins) on hand reduces your weekly budget while still including your favorite meats in your diet. 

6. Buying in Season Produce can be one of the things you spend the most money on every week. Sometimes I can't believe the cost of our favorite fruits and veggies. But if I try really hard to buy at the peak of the season, not only do I get the freshest choices, but also the most economical. And when things are in season, you can also take advantage of buying from your local farmer or farmer's market, saving you even more money! 

So there you have it, my best tips on making that grocery budget stretch a little bit more. I hope something stands out as one you want to try and you can keep a few extra pennies in your wallet. But remember, no matter what we are spending each week on food in this country, so many around the world are spending so much more, for so much less, and for that we can always be grateful. 

Copycat Olive Garden Salad

1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1 medium red onion, sliced thin

3/4 c. black olives

3/4 c. grape tomatoes, halved

Pepperoncini Peppers

Croutons

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

Dressing: 

1 c. oil and vinegar dressing

1 garlic clove, peeled and halved

1/2 TBS dried oregano

1/2 TBS dried basil

1 TBS sugar

In a bottle or jar, place all ingredients for dressing. Shake well. Refrigerate for 24 hours before using. To make salad, combine all ingredients in a large bowl. If not serving right away, don't add croutons. Add dressing a little at a time until desired consistency. Mix well. Serve immediately. 

Shared on The Country Cook May 23, 2014

Disclaimer: As part of the Affordable Food Options For Your Family, From Ours series, I was compensated for this post. All thoughts opinions are my own. 

Soul Food Saturday #24

Good Morning! Can you believe it's the last weekend of September? I can't believe October will be here in a few short days!! In my mind, as soon as the calendar reads Oct. 1st, it's simply a downhill race to the holidays. Ha Ha. But let's not get ahead of ourselves because Bekki is here with a great recipe for any autumn evening you need to warm up! She has actually taken my Crock Pot Corn and Cheese Chowder, and come up with a quick stove top version, when you need supper on the table and fast!

With Fall just started to show her face, it brings thoughts of warm comfort food to my mind. Being a California grown girl I love corn. Fresh corn is always best in summer, and how can it be a bad idea to mix the words comfort and corn together? That is exactly what this soup is comfort in a bowl. With the evenings beginning to get cooler and the crop of fresh corn almost gone, this is my last hurrah for summer.  Some time ago, I stumbled over a recipe of Mrs. E’s that I have held close since the first time making it. It’s Crock Pot Corn Chowder, taken to the stove. Yes! I wanted it right now! So my impatience took the recipe straight to a pot on the stove top. After making it several times, I put my own spin on it. Changing this here and there to suit what I had on hand. I hope you fall in love with this soup just like we did. Enjoy!

Corn Chowder, In a Hurry! 
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 c. potatoes, sliced

1 Anaheim chile pepper, diced

3 sweet mini peppers

4 c. fresh corn, off the cob (4-5 ears)

2 ½ c. diced ham
1 can cream of mushroom soup

2 ¼ c. half and half
2 tsp dried parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium pot add unsalted butter to melt. Add onion, and peppers. Cook until onion is clear and peppers are softened slightly.  Add sliced potatoes, corn, ham, soup and half and half. Stir to combine. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender about 20 minutes, stirring often.

Serve hot with your favorite bread or alone. Which ever way you choose, this one will be around for a long time.

Side Dish or Lunch

When the thermometer starts to creep up on 90, I don't know about you, but we start eating lighter and lighter. We still want to be full and satisfied, but huge plates of hot food don't even sound appetizing. So I love finding dishes that can fill us up but still be refreshing enough they aren't heavy and "brick like" in our stomachs.

Pasta salads are one of those things I don't think you can ever have too many versions of. There are a thousand different ways to make them, and everyone has their preferences. Some like them creamy, some say hold the mayo. Some like lots of veggies. Some want meat added in. However you create your favorite one, I think there is always room to adapt and change to make it just a little bit different every time.

Now, most of the time I am 100% a creamy pasta salad lover. I want my pasta salad dressed with mayo, sour cream, or both! But I am smart enough to know these don't always work well on hot, sunny days, and that's when a oil based dressing needs to become the star. I also love the fact that when I make a huge bowl of a pasta salad as a side dish for supper, most of the time I have enough left for lunch the next day. They only taste better after they sit! In fact, this one is so good, you might want to make a batch of it specifically for lunches all week, leaving it to "soak" in the flavor in the fridge.

When I created this, I knew 2 things. I wanted to include artichoke hearts because we love them and I hadn't cooked with them in a while, and I wanted a non mayo dressing. The veggies I used were simply what sounded good at the time, but this would work fantastic with the bounty I know some of you are getting fresh from the garden. In fact, the next time I make it I want to include some of our cherry tomatoes, and add in hearts of palm...another favorite of ours!

Side dish or lunch, a good pasta salad is a favorite summer time treat of many. Add in lots of veggies and a flavorful dressing, it truly is a party in a bowl!

Artichoke Pasta Salad

1 lb. raditore pasta, or other short pasta

1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts in water, chopped

3 mini sweet peppers, 1 each orange, red and yellow, finely chopped

3/4 c. broccoli florets, chopped

3/4 c. cauliflower, chopped

1 TBS Italian seasoning, plus extra for garnish

1 small bottle Italian dressing

Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cool water and drain well. Set aside. In a large bowl combine artichoke hearts, peppers, broccoli and cauliflower. Mix well. Add pasta. Toss to combine. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Pour dressing over. Stir gently, but very well to combine. Chill until serving, at least 2 hours. Garnish with extra seasoning.

*NOTE* If you can't find the mini sweet peppers, 1 large bell pepper in any of the colors would work great too.

Shared on Lady Behind The Curtain July 10, 2013
Shared on The Country Cook July 12, 2013

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Yes, that's right, I said Daddy. I don't care how old or "grown up" I get, I will always be a Daddy's girl. He isn't my father, not even my dad. He has always been and will always be my Daddy. And today is his birthday! In his 63 years here on earth, he has done so so much. He was the youngest of 3 children, the only son to a mother who loves him very much; and a father, that until his last breath was incredibly proud of him. He was a soldier during one of the most tumultuous wars in America's history. Deep in the jungles of Vietnam he earned many distinctions, including a bronze star and purple heart. In the late early 70's he became a husband, and while the relationship might not have worked out, it provided him with his only son and my big brother, who many years later would follow in his footsteps and find a home in the United States Army, making our dad so proud. Then in the late 70's he became a husband once again, and 3 years later they were blessed with a baby girl, whom he named Krista Renae. Now, that marriage has lasted for over 30 years and that baby girl is a mother to her own son. He is the hardest working man I know, and will give you the shirt off his back to help if he can. He is loyal to no end, and for 31 years has been my hero.

These are something I first made for him years ago. They were meant to be made in jalapeno peppers, but those are a little too spicy for him, so I found poblanos were a little more to his tongue's liking. This size make a great main dish, but the smaller version is a killer appetizer. Every time I make them, I know they will bring such a huge smile to his face, so what better time to treat him than on his birthday?

I love you Daddy. You were the first man I loved, and the one I compare all others too. Your support and guidance have helped mold me into the person I am today; and someday if my little boy is half the man you are, I will consider myself a success as a mother.

Sausage Stuffed Peppers
5 medium poblano peppers, halved and seeded
1 lb. bulk sausage, mild or hot
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425. In a large skillet brown sausage, seasoned with salt and pepper, until crisp and no longer pink. Drain very well. In a large bowl combine cream cheese, Parmesan, and warm sausage. Mix very well to combine. Spoon sausage mixture into each pepper half. Place on aluminum lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until browned on top and bubbling.

Shared on Mandy's Recipe Box Oct. 2, 2012
Shared on Lady Behind The Curtain Oct. 3, 2012
Shared on Miz Helen's Country Cottage Oct. 4, 2012
Shared on The Country Cook Oct. 5, 2012

Peppers at Very Good Recipes
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