Visit Target on Saturday, February 27th for Story Time to celebrate Read Across American Day!
Read Across America Day coincides each year with Dr. Seuss’s birthday. As part of their commitment to Education and K-12 Schools, Target hosts in-store events that include readings by volunteers and local notables, giveaways and other fun reading-related activities. Visit Target Saturday, February 27th from 9-11 AM for Story Time fun in honor of Dr. Seuss — free at all Target stores. The event will feature a reading of the Dr. Seuss classic, Oh, The Places You’ll Go! and other family-friendly activities.
More info at THIS LINK.
Frezzing Homemade Soups and Stock
A thread on Pinching Your Pennies today inspired me to write this post.
One of the members asked about buying cheap bones at the butcher to use for making stock. I always make stock after cooking a chicken or a turkey and then freeze it to use in a later recipe. I have never thought about the fact that you possibly could buy bones at the butcher. Here was one of the replies from PYP member Sine:
“Yes, I’ve bought them cheaply but it has been quite awhile. Ask the butcher for soup bones, and don’t forget to ask how much they cost first. Some meat counters just have them out for sale. I think the days of getting them for free are long gone.
It might also help to be friendly with a butcher first–say hi, ask questions (How do you cook this? What is the best buy this week? etc. until he/she knows you are a regular at that store. Then maybe you’ll get them cheaper. Just a thought. (A couple of weeks ago I asked what cut they use for stew meat, and the butcher told me scraps. That week stew meat was the same price as petite sirloin steaks, so the butcher told me that my stew would be way better using the petite sirloins. He also told me to use the petite sirloins for stir fry, fajitas, chili, etc., so I stocked up.)”
Take the time to get to know the people that work in your grocery store. Ask questions.
I frequently use empty plastic water bottles to freeze my homemade stocks in. They store well because they don’t take up very much space. I know there are a lot of people that do not use plastics in their homes – so just come up with something that works for you.
This is how PYP Member Lillyun stores her homemade stocks:
“I save all of my sour cream and cottage cheese containers to use for this purpose. It saves me from having to buy extra containers and if one breaks when I am thawing, no biggie, I have more. Plus many recipes call for 8-16 oz of stock anyway so they are perfect and no need to measure.”
Soups are one of those perfect things to freeze. Most soups can be cooked right out of the freezer. It’s a great meal on the days that you forget to pull something out of the freezer to thaw in the morning.
After you make the soup, allow to cool and then carefully pour into a freezer bag. Seal and place in the freezer flat to freeze, in order to save space.
When you are doing a large batch of soups or stews and you have some to freeze and use later, it sometimes seems like it takes forever to cool down, which you need to do before you put them in the freezer. Simply take any clean plastic water bottle and fill in about three quarters of the way with water, then pop it into the freezer. When you are ready to cool down your pot of soup, grab the water bottle and use it to stir your soup. The chill of the ice and the bottle will rapidly cool your soup without having to wait around. When you are done simply wash the bottle and use it again.
Another idea that I found is to freeze soups in a paper cup and then once it is frozen remove the paper cup and put the “soup cubes” in a freezer bag… then you have single servings of soups that you can quickly heat up for a quick lunch. You could just keep them in the cup and then put them in the bag – but you probably won’t be able to microwave the cups.
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Whole Foods printable coupons!
- $1/1 any 18-oz jar 365 Everyday Value® Organic Peanut Butter
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Print the coupons above at THIS LINK.
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Fox 13 Deals 2/25!!
15% off and Free Shipping on $50 at Children’s Place! 2 Days Only!
For two days only you can get free shipping on $50 orders!
This discount will combine with the 15% off code. You must spend $50 after the discount to qualify for free shipping!
Dressy styles are in stock and ready for Easter outfit shopping!
Children’s Place LINK
Coupon codes:
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15% off at the Children’s Place (in-store coupon) printable!
Click on the banner above to print a 15% coupon valid at all Children’s Place stores. This would be great combined with the final winter clearance going on now!
Ruby Tuesdays Buy 1 Select Entree, get one free up to $10!
Save a bundle! Use our printable shopping lists at the grocery store!
Just one of the awesome tools here at PYP…ready-made shopping lists. We scour grocery ads to find the best deals at many of your favorite stores, and match them with available coupons. Check the list below and see if you find your favorite store!
| Idaho Albertson’s |
Arizona Basha’s |
HOT milk & cereal deal at Smith’s/Kroger stores!
This offer is available at Smith’s stores, and possiby other Kroger stores, so check yours! Select Kellogg’s cereal is on sale for $2.50. When you buy 4, you also get 2 gallons of Mountain Dairy milk FREE! Combine this sale with the Catalina offer below, and a couple of printable coupons, and you have yourself a HOT DEAL!
Kellogg’s Cereal Catalina offer:
Purchase Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks, Froot Loops, Corn Pops, Cocoa Krispies, Honey Smacks 10 oz or larger between 2/10 – 3/10
Buy 3, Get $1 OFF YOUR NEXT SHOPPING ORDER
Buy 4, Get $3 OFF YOUR NEXT SHOPPING ORDER
Buy 5 or more, Get $4 OFF YOUR NEXT SHOPPING ORDER
Possible Scenarios:
1.) Purchase (5) Froot Loops, Frosted Flakes, Apple Jacks or Corn Pops, 2.50 ea
Use: (1) Kelloggs Cereal, any three 10 oz or larger $1/3 HERE
AND (2) Kelloggs, Frosted Flakes or Frosted Mini Wheats, any two $1.50/2 HERE
Pay $10
Get 2 gallons Mountain Dairy Milk FREE ($1.76 value EACH)
Receive $4 Catalina – use just like cash on your next shopping order.
Net Cost: $6 for 5 boxes of cereal and 2 gallons of milk
OR
2.) Purchase 4 boxes of cereal, 2.50 ea
Use (1) Kelloggs Cereal, any three 10 oz or larger $1/3 HERE
Pay $9
Get 2 gallons Mountain Dairy Milk FREE ($1.76 value EACH)
Receive $3 Catalina – use just like cash on your next shopping order.
Net Cost: $6 for 4 boxes of cereal and 2 gallons of milk
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Freezer Cooking Recipes
Here are some of my family’s favorite recipes for the freezer.
Chicken Tetrazzini
10 oz. dry spaghetti — (10 to 12)
3 cups grated cheese – Jack or Cheddar
3 Tbsp. margarine
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup — (10 3/4 oz)
1 can cream of chicken soup — (10 3/4 oz)
1 (10 3/4 oz) soup can milk
3 cups cooked diced chicken
salt & pepper
Cook spaghetti as directed until al dente; drain. Sauté onions in margarine.
Mix onions and remaining ingredients with spaghetti in a large bowl. Put
mixture in containers and freeze. To prepare for serving, thaw tetrazzini
and put in a baking dish. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350* oven until
bubbly, about 30-40 minutes. For 2 people makes 5 casseroles.
Chicken and Rice Bake
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cup water
¾ cup uncooked regular white rice
¼ tsp. Paprika
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
To freeze: Dump all ingredients into 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag. Lay flat
in freezer.
To cook: Thaw in refrigerator. Place all ingredients in a 2 quart shallow
baking dish. Cover. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until chicken
and rice are done.
CHEESY Chicken and Rice Bake
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 cup water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
¾ cup uncooked regular white rice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
To freeze: Dump all ingredients into 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag. Lay flat
in freezer.
To cook: Thaw in refrigerator. Place all ingredients in a 2 quart shallow
baking dish. Cover. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until chicken
and rice are done.
notes: Try it with a can of cheddar broccoli soup and add broccoli
florets for added color and nutrition.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
1- 8 oz. Fat Free French Dressing
1- 8 Oz. can Jelly (whole)cranberry sauce
1 package – Dried Onion Soup Mix
4 Boneless Chicken Breasts (you can add more or less – cut into cube pieces)
To freeze: Dump all ingredients into 1 gallon Ziploc freezer bag. Lay flat
in freezer.
To cook: Mix all ingredients in a 13 x 9 glass pan. Cover with tin foil.
Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Stir and serve over rice or noodles.
note: I like to add a bunch of stir-fry veggies in the bag when I
freeze this. They cook well in the sauce, and add a lot more nutrition to
the meal. (Plus, I don’t have to bother with a side dish this way!)
Chicken Enchiladas
(Freeze the tortillas separately for this easy dinner)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 pint sour cream
pinch garlic powder
1 can diced green chiles
3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 dozen flour tortillas
grated Monterey Jack cheese
Mix first 5 ingredients together in a large bowl. Spoon into a 1 gallon
freezer bag and lay flat to freeze.
To prepare: Thaw sauce and tortillas. Spoon a bit of the chicken mixture
into each tortilla. Roll up and place side by side in a 9 X 13 baking pan.
Pour remaining mixture over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 30
minutes at 350 degrees.
Simple Salsbury Steak
(Campbell’s soup recipe)
1 can of mushroom soup
1 pound of ground beef
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
In a bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of the soup, beef, bread crumbs, egg, and
onion. Shape firmly into 6 patties. (If you are using raw meat, you can
freeze it now and brown the mushrooms and freeze them too, or you can freeze
everything after cooking)
In a skillet over medium heat, cook patties, a few at a time, until browned
on both sides, spoon off fat, set aside.
Stir in remaining soup and mushrooms, return the patties to the skillet,
reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until done, turning
patties occasionally.
Allow to cool and place patties and sauce into freezer bag. Lay flat to
freeze.
To COOK: Allow to thaw. Reheat and eat!
Easy Pleasing Meatloaf
2 lb. Ground beef
1 package (6 oz.) stuffing mix
1 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup barbeque sauce, divided
Mix all ingredients well except for ¼ cup of the barbeque sauce. Shape meat
mixture into 2 oval loaves, side by side, in a 9″x13″ baking dish. Top with
remaining barbeque sauce. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until center
is no longer pink.
To freeze: Allow loaves to cool. Wrap individually in tin foil, and place in
1 gallon freezer bag.
To serve: Thaw, and reheat in oven or microwave. Top with more barbeque
sauce, if desired.
CHICKEN & BROCCOLI
(Serves 4 people; 4 times)
1 cup margarine
1 cup flour
8 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups cooked chicken, cut up
2 lbs. broccoli, cut up and lightly steamed
2 lbs. cheddar cheese, grated
Make white sauce: melt margarine in a large heavy pan. Add flour, stirring
constantly. When it reaches the boiling point, add milk, mixing constantly
with a wire whisk. Heat until almost boiling, stirring constantly. Remove
from heat. Place cooked chicken into four 8×8-inch baking pans; sprinkle
each pan with grated cheese; cover pans with foil; label and freeze. You can
also store this in zip-top freezer bags, saving the grated cheese to
sprinkle on top at serving time.
To serve: Thaw. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, or pour from freezer bag and
heat in heavy pan on stove top.
Serve over cooked rice, spaghetti, or fettuccine noodles.
Chicken Parmesan
1/3 C. dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
3/4 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
To freeze: Combine first four ingredients in a shallow bowl. Dip each
chicken breast in beaten egg, then roll in bread crumb mixture to evenly
coat.
Place chicken on a greased cookie sheet or jellyroll pan. Bake in preheated
375′ F. oven 10 min. Turn chicken over; bake 10-12 min. or until chicken is
thoroughly cooked.
Freeze in 1 gallon bag with separate bags of sauce and shredded cheese.
To serve: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat chicken in 375′ F. oven
until heated through and crust is crispy. Spoon tomato sauce over chicken.
Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake an additional 3 minutes or until cheese is
melted.
Makes 4 servings
Cowboy Delight
1 Lb. Ground beef or Ground Turkey
1 pkg. Elbow macaroni/Sea Shell Pasta
1 Lg. can tomato sauce
2 Cans diced tomatoes (or use bottled spaghetti sauce, or pasta sauce)
salt and pepper — to taste
pinch garlic powder
pinch onion powder or dry onions
pinch Italian seasoning
3 TBSP. brown sugar
3/4 C. grated cheddar cheese
Brown hamburger and onions. Drain Fat. Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse. Combine remaining ingredients, EXCEPT cheese, in a very large bowl. Add hamburger and pasta and sauce together. Mix Well.
Spread evenly into a foil pan. Freeze. To Serve: Allow to thaw and then cover with grated cheese. Bake 350˚F oven until cheese melts and casserole is hot.