*Happy Dance*
We had extra Coconut rice leftover from dinner
tonight! For the most part, we don't keep leftover rice. Lets all be
honest here, we say we are going to eat the extra rice we make the next
day, but 3 weeks later when we are cleaning out the fridge, we find a
big bowl of what used to be white rice that has a nice green film over
it. Not a pretty site or good eats. I am slowly coming up with recipes
to use all types of leftover rice and this is one of the recipes. Rice
pudding. Is there anything better? I don't think so, well, maybe
chocolate. Hmmm....maybe I will try to come up with a chocolate version
later. Anyway, on a cold winters night or cool summer day it doesn't
really matter. It's always yummy.
I've tried a million
different recipes and failed a million different times. It's either
too thin, or too thick. Not sweet enough, or too sweet. Sometimes it's
got curdled egg in it or I leave the egg out completely and it tastes
like it's missing something. I finally got creative and made a recipe
myself and I must admit, it's pretty darn perfect and so simple to
make and very inexpensive. Cold or hot, I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!
Rice Pudding
1 1/2c Cooked White Rice
5c Milk, divided
1c Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
2 tsp Vanilla
Place cooked rice, 4 cups of milk and sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 25 minutes until thick. Stir in beaten egg and cook for 1 additional minute. Take pan off heat and add remaining cup of milk and vanilla. Pour into a bowl and place plastic wrap directly on top of pudding so it won't form a skin. Chill completely or eat it warm, it tastes great either way!
Now, because I had leftover rice from dinner, this pudding only cost me $0.96 for 6 servings! Holy cheap batman! If you were making it from scratch, it would be another .30!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Oh, lovely Coconut Rice
Coconut Rice is really one of THE most amazing things in the world.
Really it is. This recipe is so simple and so darn yummy, you will be
making it again and again. Here it is, enjoy!
Coconut Rice
3 c Coconut milk and water combined
2 1/2 c Rice
2 tsp Salt
Add all ingredients to a saucepan, bring to a boil and stir. Cover with a lid and reduce heat to low and steam for 20 minutes. Fluff with fork when done and enjoy!
This rice dish cost only $1.77 to make! That's enough for 6 people and I am hoping for leftover rice so I can make some rice pudding.
Coconut Rice
3 c Coconut milk and water combined
2 1/2 c Rice
2 tsp Salt
Add all ingredients to a saucepan, bring to a boil and stir. Cover with a lid and reduce heat to low and steam for 20 minutes. Fluff with fork when done and enjoy!
This rice dish cost only $1.77 to make! That's enough for 6 people and I am hoping for leftover rice so I can make some rice pudding.
Chicken and Vegetable Curry
This recipe is my FAVORITE of all times. It's taken me quite a long
time to build flavors that I like and that aren't too spicy for my
family. My older kids can handle it, but my two younger have sore
bellies if I make it to spicy. So, here is my recipe for Chicken Curry
with vegetables and Coconut Rice, I hope you make it and love it as much
as I do!
Chicken Curry
2 Bone in Chicken breasts
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
4 Carrots, med dice
4 Potatoes, med dice
1/2 C. Onion, med dice.
2 tsp, Garlic, minced
2 C Water
1 Tsp Chicken bullion
1 Pkg Golden Curry sauce mix
1 C Coconut milk
4 Tbs Vegetable oil, divided
Heat a large non-stick skillet with 2 Tbs of oil on medium heat. Season 2 chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place skin side down in hot oil. DON'T touch for 3 minutes. Turn on the other side and brown for another 3 minutes. Place browned chicken on a plate and set aside. Discard oil.
Heat remaining 2 Tbs of oil and add all the veggies except garlic. Saute until brown on all sides, usually 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another 2 minutes.
Place the chicken back in the pan and then add the water, chicken bullion and coconut milk. Cover and simmer on med low for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked completely through. Remove chicken and let cool slightly. Add entire package of golden curry sauce mix. I bought mild, but it comes in medium and hot. Simmer for 3 minutes with the lid off. While the sauce is simmering, shred chicken and then add back in. Serve over Coconut Rice and enjoy!
This recipe cost me just over $7.70 for 6 servings! So good and so darn inexpensive.
Chicken Curry
2 Bone in Chicken breasts
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
4 Carrots, med dice
4 Potatoes, med dice
1/2 C. Onion, med dice.
2 tsp, Garlic, minced
2 C Water
1 Tsp Chicken bullion
1 Pkg Golden Curry sauce mix
1 C Coconut milk
4 Tbs Vegetable oil, divided
Heat a large non-stick skillet with 2 Tbs of oil on medium heat. Season 2 chicken breasts with salt and pepper and place skin side down in hot oil. DON'T touch for 3 minutes. Turn on the other side and brown for another 3 minutes. Place browned chicken on a plate and set aside. Discard oil.
Heat remaining 2 Tbs of oil and add all the veggies except garlic. Saute until brown on all sides, usually 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another 2 minutes.
Place the chicken back in the pan and then add the water, chicken bullion and coconut milk. Cover and simmer on med low for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked completely through. Remove chicken and let cool slightly. Add entire package of golden curry sauce mix. I bought mild, but it comes in medium and hot. Simmer for 3 minutes with the lid off. While the sauce is simmering, shred chicken and then add back in. Serve over Coconut Rice and enjoy!
This recipe cost me just over $7.70 for 6 servings! So good and so darn inexpensive.
Saving pennies any way I can
With this economy, every penny counts, unless you are a billionaire, and then I am pretty sure you
have it made. I am not a billionaire and probably never will be, so I
have been trying to figure out ways to save our household some money.
I've made my own laundry detergent, we rarely go out to movies, and I
have started dabbling in sewing. In looking at my banking register, I
realize that we eat out waaaay too much. I am spending anywhere between
$175-$225 per month (for a family of 6) on going out to dinner, or
pizza delivery, or lets be real, the local hamburger joint for lunch.
Not only is this expensive, but it is really bad for my girlish
figure:) So, in trying to save a few bucks here and there, I made a
goal to not eat out for 1 week. No big deal right? Wrong! It's been
hard. When I get off of work at 11 and my kids are STARVING, it's
easier to go to a taco shop then it is to make said tacos. But I was
strong. I survived a week of making 3 meals a day, 7 days for 6
people. Was it easy? No. Am I a great cook? That depends on who you
ask. Did I save money? Heck yes!
Because I survived one week of home cooking, I have made myself a goal of doing this for 1 month. I survived that, and so that got me really thinking. I could do this everyday and save hundreds a year. That is awesome. Does this mean I am going to completely stop eating out? No, the hubs and I have a tradition to eat at the best restaurant in town for our anniversary and I just can't give it up. This just means that during my crazy day, I can't take the easy way out and call the local pizza delivery and call it good. Besides, I think my pizza crust tastes better. And because of all my smart ideas, I decided I might as well write all my recipes down and maybe I will share them with other people who are trying to save a couple bucks and cook new and interesting things. So here I am, recording for posterity the good, bad, and the burned meals I make. So, here comes my first post on how I saved my family a pretty penny.
Because I survived one week of home cooking, I have made myself a goal of doing this for 1 month. I survived that, and so that got me really thinking. I could do this everyday and save hundreds a year. That is awesome. Does this mean I am going to completely stop eating out? No, the hubs and I have a tradition to eat at the best restaurant in town for our anniversary and I just can't give it up. This just means that during my crazy day, I can't take the easy way out and call the local pizza delivery and call it good. Besides, I think my pizza crust tastes better. And because of all my smart ideas, I decided I might as well write all my recipes down and maybe I will share them with other people who are trying to save a couple bucks and cook new and interesting things. So here I am, recording for posterity the good, bad, and the burned meals I make. So, here comes my first post on how I saved my family a pretty penny.