Stuffed Turkey Rolls

Yes, another hot day. Can you believe it, THUNDER and no rain. I was told it had something to do with the heat today. I need to find out more about that.
And again, another one pot entree. Easy to clean when you use paper plates. Just the pan, utensils, and glasses.

Stuffed Turkey Rolls                        Serves 3

4 green onions diced
1/4 of a bell pepper cut in small pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 small mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
3/4 C fresh spinach
6 turkey fillets or tenders
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese (divided for 6 fillets or a pinch of parmesan cheese per fillet)
6 teaspoons ricotta

Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet. Add green onions and bell peppers. Sautee for 5 minutes.
Add mushrooms. Cook until soft then add salt and pepper. Add spinach and cook till wilted.
Set aside in a bowl.
Pound turkey fillets thin sprinkling with salt and pepper to taste and fill 6 turkey fillets with vegetable mixture, 1 teaspoon ricotta, and a pinch of parmesan cheese. Roll up using tooth picks to close. It doesn't have to be pretty. If it takes 5 tooth picks its okay. You will take the tooth picks out when you are done. The turkey will stay in place after its cooked.
Add 1 tablespoon to pan and brown turkey rolls on each side. After they are browned add 1/8 C water and cover to steam. This won't take long. Probably 10 minutes, depending on how thin your fillets are.
TAKE TOOTH PICKS OUT and serve.

You can substitute chicken if you want. I don't eat chicken. It is not good for my type B blood
See my oher blog PreventionWithoutDrugs.

We had left over fresh steamed beets. I had brown rice and hubby had corn on the cob.

Skillet Lasagna

Like I told you before it gets hot in our Tin Can. You really do not want to cook inside and since we have not bought a new BBQ I need to be creative.
I have a propane oven but it heats the place up and does not cook well. I could use the toaster oven but that pulls a lot of electricity and REALLY heats the place up. Therefore, "One Pot Cooking" seems to be what I do most.

I bought all the ingredients to make Lasagna, but it is 104 today and our air conditioning is going strong. The interior temperature stays about 80 until the sun goes down. There is no wind here to cool us down at night like our home state of Nevada. I feel bad wishing for tropical storms that will bring rain here to cool us off. Just a bit of rain....maybe a slow half hour sprinkle?

Skillet Lasagna

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 lb hamburger
1/4 sweet onion cut up
2 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 Teaspoon: oregano, Tarragon, Basil or 1.5 teaspoons of Italian Seasonings
1-14.5 can tomatoes with Italian seasonings.
1 Tablespoon sugar (I use cane sugar because all my ingredients are organic or natural)
8 ounces noodles (use what you have)
4 ounces of Ricotta
6 ounces of Mozzarella
Handful of parmesan cheese

Cook noodles and drain.
In separate large pan add olive oil then add hamburger. Cook until there is no more pink. Drain and add onions, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes and add spices, sugar and cook for 15 minutes.
Set aside half of meat mixture.
Spread half of the noodles over meat mixture top with half of the ricotta (put teaspoon drops all over the noodles). Top with half the mozzarella, Repeat ending with noodles. Top with parmesan cheese and put lid on pan. Cook on low until cheeses melts.

Serves 4

Serve with tossed green salad with Italian dressing along with crusty bread. Oh yea, and a good bottle of wine.



Easy Tamale Pie

Tamale Pie is like a goulash to me. Whatever meat I have left over I make this recipe.

For this recipe I used left over pulled pork from a recipe on Pioneer Woman on Food TV. The name of the recipe is Spicy Pop Pulled Pork. Of course, her recipes are for an army since she cooks for four children, husband, and some ranch hands. I cut this recipe in half and still put 1/3 of it in the freezer. Trying to cook for two always gives me something to put in the freezer.

Tamale Pie       Serves 4-6

3C water
1C corn meal
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 large onion minced
1/2 bell pepper sliced
1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kernel corn
1 sm can sliced olives
21/2 Tablespoons chili powder
up to 2 C leftover meat

Heat large skillet (the chicken fry pan that is 3" deep), add olive oil. Sautee onions and peppers.
Meanwhile combine water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cornmeal and 1/2 tablespoon chili powder and cook stirring constantly until thick.
To onion  mix add tomatoes, corn, remaining salt, meat, and remaining chili powder. Cook enough to heat up then add a couple scoops of cornmeal to thicken sauce, add olives.
Spread half of the cornmeal in an 8" square glass-baking dish after spraying with oil. Add the meat mixture and top with the remaining cornmeal.
Cook at 375 for 40 minutes.

If you want to spice it up you can add jalapeno. I had left over corn/bean/homemade salsa relish left over and put that in.

Serve with a green salad and cottage cheese.

Stocking Up

This is the time of the year where you can get great fresh produce. Now is the time to stock up for those days you either just don't want to cook or because winter is to harsh for a garden and the stores are to expensive.

Here is a real good list of items you should always keep in your home. I can't do this because my frig is very small. I used to stock up when I had a house.
Both of these links are from my new found foodtv host, Ree Drummond.
Check out her kitchen. Wow cement for counter tops. Do you need an engineer for that? hehe

Stocking up
Stocking up printable list.

Like I said in my previous post. If you are making chili or spaghetti for dinner make enough for another meal and freeze it.
A good way to freeze veggie or fruit:
Clean the fresh produce
Chop them into sizes you want
Set fruit on a sheet pan in one layer in your freezer (this is flash freezing)
After it freezes put in air tight bags or use vacuume bags ( my choice is vacuume seal them)
LABLE the bags. Make sure you put a date on it too.

The Frugal Shopper

How I stay within a weekly food budget:

1. Check your cabinets and see what you could use for this week.
2. Check the sales at your favorite stores and farmer's markets.
3. Make a weekly menu. This includes breakfast and lunch, especially if you take a bag lunch as we do. If you make waffles, from scratch, make a double recipe and put the rest in freezer for another day.
4. Try to make meals with similar ingredients. Example: chili and chicken parmesan, or broths and beans. If round steak is on sale think of a couple similar meals you can fix. Same with chicken.
5. NEVER buy what isn't on your list. Double check the ingredients for each meal.
6. Make your deserts and snacks. It doesn't take that much time.
7. Wash all produce before putting it away. INCLUDING YOUR CANS. Lots of germs on them.
8. Eat in season. Here is a list of produce in season by month.
Snack ideas that are easy.

1. Popcorn in a popcorn maker. You can put spices on them or cheese.
2. Granola Bar. See recipe below
3. Make cookies. Only bake enough for a couple days. Put the rest of the dough in the freezer.
4. Cut up veggies and make a simple dip.
5. Peanut Butter on crackers or veggies. I like it on celery.

No Bake Granola

3-4 C oats, nuts, coconut, packaged granola cereal mix.
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/4 C honey
1/2 C brown sugar
You can toast the nuts and coconut a bit for a deeper flavor. Remember watch them carefully they burn fast.
In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar with the honey and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add granola mixture.
Transfer the granola mixture to a 9-by-13-inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly to evenly fill.  Let the granola mixture set in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into 2 1/4-by 3-inch bars
Suggestion; individually wrap the bars in plastic wrap to eliminate over snacking. I have a hubby who will snack snack and snack. You could put half the batch in the freezer. Might be a good idea. hehe

Apricot Chicken

Notice my fine dinning plate

2 Chicken quarters (leg and thigh combo with bone and skin)
2 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Mrs Dash Original
1/2 Teaspoon Basil
1 Red Bell Pepper sliced
4 Green Onions
1 C Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons Apricot Preserves
1 Jalapeno Pepper minced

Combine: Paprika, Mrs Dash, Basil, 1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil. Divide in two. Massage under the skin of both chicken quarters.
Heat chicken fryer pan (large enough for 2 chicken quarters) over medium heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil. Rub Chicken with oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper.
Brown on both sides. Sking side first.
Remove from pan to platter. Take out all the grease except for 1 Tablespoon. Add Butter.
Add Bell Pepper and Green Onions to pan. Cook for 3 minutes.
Add Chicken Broth and scrape up bits on the bottom of the pan. Add Chicken to pan. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile combine chopped Jalapeno Pepper and Apricot Preserves in small bowl. Put in microwave for 5 minutes until the preserves melt.
Baste Chicken with pepper mix several times.

Serve with brown rice. I used chicken broth instead of water for my rice cooker. Remember 1 C of brown rice to 1 1/2 C liquid. I added 1/4 C frozen peas.

What is Tin Can Cooking

No, I don't cook in tin-cans. I live in a 30" travel trailer. Yes, for the last 3 years, 4 months, and 26 days we have been living in what I call a Tin Can, with fond affection of course.

Uprooted from a western state due to a slow economy we moved south near a large city looking for employment. Living in 300 square feet is a challenge after moving from an 1870 square feet home.
The purpose of this blog spot is to give you some incite on RV living. Every thing in its place and a place for everything, is our motto.
I cook mostly from scratch using organic/natural/sustainable produce, grains, and beans, meats, and dairy. Living in the south provides many farmers markets and roadside stands. On my other blog spot called PreventionWithoutDrugs I explain what organic is and why their products are more expensive. The way I look at it, I would rather pay for good wholesome food than for doctor visits.
I hope I can give you some tips on how I shop frugally to make a dollar stretch. We live on a tight budget.
Please give me any suggestions or ask any questions you may have. Enjoy this sight. Humor and good friendship enables hubby and I to live in a small space for so many years.