Category: Recipe of the Week

I haven’t priced the stuff in 10 years, but back then buying two cans of it came near to the cost of the meat for the dish I was purchasing it for. So by golly, I decided I could learn to make my own, homemade, at a much lower cost. This recipe does it; it tastes exactly the same as the name-brand cans in the grocery store, at 1/4 the cost. And it’s easy too! I think you’ll like it. I usually double the recipe, which is no more trouble than a single batch, and use/freeze it in 2-cup (pint) …

We eat a lot of beans, prepared in a variety of ways. I read on SurvivalBlog that alot of people are stockpiling “beans, rice, and bullets”. However, I’m wondering if all of those people who are stockpiling beans know how to prepare them so they will be enjoyable. Here is our most basic recipe, which is sometimes spiced up more with additional red chili, cooked longer for softer/refried beans, or added to other recipes. I cook up a big batch and can them, as it is just as easy to make a “mess” of them for additional quick meals later. …

With cranberries available right now, it is time to buy them and freeze or freeze-dry them for all your wonderful breads and dessert recipes! This is one that our family loves. It’s very easy, and the family expects lots of it available continuously from Thanksgiving through New Year’s. This bread recipe is great to double and then freeze what you don’t eat right away. (Just don’t put icing on what you want to freeze. When it’s time to serve, remove from the freezer, put in the oven or microwave to warm, and then drizzle some icing over the top. The …

It’s called No Ta-mater Chili ’cause Charlie Goodnight didn’t have no ta-maters on the trail drives, comprende? If you have to ask who’s Charlie Goodnight, you got no bidness making chili inna first place! Look him up! Also, look up his partner Oliver Loving while you’re at it. Now there’s some preppers for you. Ingredients: 4 pounds lean beef stew meat or brisket, trimmed of most of the fat 3 Tbsp cooking oil 5 Tbsp chili powder (Use more, if you want it. I use 8 or 10 Tbsp.) 1 Tbsp comino powder (This is also called cumin. Use more …

This is an easy turnip recipe we love. It’s from The Redwall Cookbook by Brian Jacques, but I tweaked it just a little. (The Redwall series of books is geared toward upper elementary/jr. high students.) The name of it is almost as good as the recipe! Ingredients: 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and chopped (all amounts are approximate; we rarely make this exactly the same twice.) ½ lb. carrots, peeled and chopped 1 lb. turnips, peeled and chopped 12 Tbsp. butter/margarine, divided 1-2 cups grated cheddar cheese salt and pepper to taste (we only use pepper) Directions: Preheat oven to 350 …

When my family of farm hands come in from a day of work, they like this hardy soup served with (or over) tortilla chips, cornbread, or even warmed-over biscuits. I usually serve it with a big, green salad or with some steamed broccoli. I like it for three reasons– it’s tasty, easy, and economical, in that it helps stretch my costly ground beef! I can start it after lunch in the crock pot and go about my business for a couple of hours in the afternoon. (NOTE: For a large group, Costco sells the BIG cans of Ranch-style beans, so …

This is another 25+ year-old recipe, tried and true. I see many variations of it online, but I swear by this one being the easiest and tastiest of them all. For many years we called it “Christmas Pizza”, as it was tradition for me to pre-make it to a point the day before and then finish it and let it bake Christmas morning while Christmas presents were being enjoyed. Your children will love this. Ingredients: 1 favorite-style pizza crust (I favor a pizza crust box/packet mix as being the perfect middle ground between time-consuming homemade and an expensive premade one. …

Our then-5-year-old son renamed this dish over 25 years ago, and the name stuck. We cannot call it anything else anymore. It’s a simple recipe, perfect for a “meatless Monday”, easy to throw together, and easy to have the ingredients on hand. I serve it with some fresh or canned fruit and call it supper. Ingredients: Note: These sauce ingredients are 1/2 of what was called for in the original recipe I copied. We find the sauce to be just barely enough, but I only have to buy one can of the [expensive, these days] prepared soup, which makes it …

My husband has celiac disease, which is much more serious and complex than just a gluten allergy. The following is an old family recipe that I adjusted to make it gluten free. Ingredients: 1 pound stew meat (I prefer to buy a piece of meat and cut it up myself. I‘ve used boneless chuck roast and sirloin steak among others) 1 can gluten-free cream of mushroom soup (I’ve used both Amy’s and Health Valley) 1 small can mushrooms 1 batch homemade dry onion soup mix (This is comparable to the Lipton’s dry onion-mushroom soup mix that I used to use. …

This is a simple recipe that our family likes to cook using the crock pot. It’s a regular dish. We modified the traditional version to use some green chili and/or jalapeno peppers, which you can use to suit your personal tastes. 1 1/2 to 2 lb round steak, cut into six to eight serving portions 2 Tbsp flour 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 Tbsp butter (or oil) 1 onion, chopped 1/2 bell pepper, chopped 1 or 2 small cans green chili, chopped 1 can tomato soup (or 14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes and omit water below) 1/2 cup …

I am still making these pickles from the original recipe cut out of the Wichita (KS) Eagle newspaper from Sunday 10.29.89 (the newsprint is getting quite yellow and brittle), which is definite proof that this is a recipe that has stood the tests of time. These are what most call a “bread and butter” type pickle, and as the name says, they are truly excellent, as well as being excellently easy. Ingredients: ½ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. turmeric ¼ tsp. mustard seed ¼ tsp. celery seed ½ c. cider vinegar 1 c. sugar 2 cucumbers, unpeeled and thinly sliced 1 …

I confess I would not have eaten this soup about ten years ago, but since I moved south of the Mason-Dixon Line and west of the Mississippi River I really like this soup. This recipe is also very pantry/emergency-cooking friendly. The only fresh and easily-grown food is the onion. Also, to save on the quantity of chicken broth, drain off the liquid from the beans into a measuring cup (usually about 2 cups) and then add the correct amount of chicken broth to get to 6 cups. Ingredients: 1 lb Hot Pork Sausage (or 1 lb thin sliced Polish Kielbasa) …

I used to never buy canned chicken, considering it too expensive for my thrifty ways. That was before grocery inflation! At only around $2.00/can when purchased at the warehouse store, as something that I can and should keep in my preparedness pantry, and something that stretches so well, I am a convert. This is a recipe I devised as a tasty way to occasionally use those cans of chicken. Ingredients: 1 can (13 oz.) chicken breast chunks, shredded and “fluffed” 3 green onions, with tops, minced 1 can (4 oz.) diced green chilis 2 Tbsp. taco seasoning 2 Tbsp. sour …

This somewhat weird-sounding salad is fabulous. It makes too much for any but a very large family to finish; you may want to reserve it for covered-dish dinners and potlucks. Also, when you take it to your occasion, tuck a couple of copies of the recipe in your pocket or purse, because you WILL be asked for the recipe. Ingredients: 2 boxes (8.5 oz.) Jiffy brand corn muffin mix (or any cornbread recipe that makes an 9×13 cake-pan full) 2 cans (14.5 oz. ea.) pinto beans, rinsed and drained 2 cans (14.5 oz. ea.) whole kernel corn, drained 1 large …

Ingredients: 1 leftover turkey carcass (from a 10- to 12-pound turkey) 2 quarts water 1 medium onion, halved 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 bay leaves 1 cup chopped carrots 1 cup uncooked long grain rice 1/3 cup chopped celery 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, undiluted Directions: Place the turkey carcass in a stockpot; add the water, onion, salt and bay leaves. Slowly bring to a boil over low heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove carcass; cool. Strain broth and skim off fat. Discard onion and bay leaves. …