Reuben Chicken

Last week I tried this recipe for Reuben Chicken. It wasn't bad, but none of us like the sauerkraut on it. Something about cooking sauerkraut just ruins it. So, it was ok, but not one I'll be repeating. However, if you like reuben's or sauerkraut, you may give it a shot.

Eegads!

This months total is outrageous. I knew it would be high, because we went out of town twice this month, which required us to eat out for most meals, but I wasn't quite expecting it to be this bad. My grocery budget for the month is only $400; I didn't expect to rival it. I probably wouldn't have, except our A/C was not working properly the beginning half of the month, so by mealtime our house was a furnance. It didn't make me want to add to the heat by using the stove or oven, so most nights we went out where it was cooler. I did only spend $300 out of my grocery budget because we were eating out so much, and included in the total is our date night, and dinner for my in-laws and lunch for my grandma. I wasn't quite sure how to count those, since technically, it was still eating out, but the difference of those three dinners is a little over a hundred dollars. Ah, well. Next month should be normal, so we should be able to get back on track.

Ding Dong Mustard

My four year old daughter loves cooking shows. Whenever one comes on tv she watches it and repeats all the ingredients and then tells me how good it would be. She even prefers them to cartoons. The other day she came up with her very own recipe, called Ding Dong Mustard, then asked if she could have it with her chicken. I told her I didn't know what that was. I thought she was just making something up, and well, she kinda was. But here is her recipe for what she has named Ding Dong Mustard: equal parts mustard and ketcup mixed together. Yum!

Crustless Blackberry Cheesecake

This is a good and easy summertime dessert. It's much simpler than regular cheesecake.

Take 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 package cream cheese, 1/3 cup lemon juice and a teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix all ingredients together until smooth.

We topped with blackberries, but you could use any fruit or pie filling. It can also be served in waffle bowls, but we just used regular bowls.

Kielbasa and Sweet Potatoes

My family really likes kielbasa, and sadly, I don't make it that often. This is one dish that we really like.

Ingredients:
1 pkg kielbasa
1 sweet potato
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup syrup
instant rice

I like to brown my keilbasa first, but its not necessary. While browning meat, peel sweet potato and place in microwave for 5 minutes (more or less depending on size, you don't need it completely cooked through, just a little soft to make dicing easier). Dice sweet potato and combine with kielbasa. Mix orange juice and syrup together and then pour over meat and potato. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Serve over instant rice for a meal or serve alone as a side.

Chef Salad

It's started getting hotter here, we're in the 90's all week and have been now for a couple weeks. It makes cooking unbearable, especially, since the apartment we're in doesn't have good air conditioning. So, I've been trying to avoid cooking, while also not eating out. I'm hoping I get more creative. The other night I made us all chef salads. Well, I made my husband and I one and our girls a vegetable plate. They won't eat it mixed together, but are fine if it's all separate.

I used: romaine, yellow bell pepper, tomato, cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, boiled egg, deli meat, cheese, olives.

You can add or leave out items given your personal preference. The picture below is one of the girls vegetable plates. They got a kick out of their "fancy" dinner.