Monday, January 19, 2009

2 Cheap Chicks & a 20! Wegman's Style!



Wegmans.....ahhhhhh. Need I say more. I had not been to our "Local" (and by local I mean half hour away) Wegmans store in quite a while. The minute I walked in and devoured the smells of the coffee shop and bakery - I knew I was in for a treat. Robin Sue and I decided to meet for lunch beforehand. We may be "2 Cheap Chics" but there is always money in the budget for a lunch with a good friend.



We bought our Asian style lunch and perched ourselves atop the main floor. This was our view from the deck. We strategized, ate, talked and of course people watched! We were sitting next to a Joe Biden look alike - and if any of you remember - Robin Sue is a spitting image of Sarah Palin. We were laughing at the pictures we could take if only we were brave enough to ask "Joe" for a photo. Neither of us were - so we just had to have fun chuckling to ourselves about Robin Sue jumping in "Biden's" lap and taking a photo for our blogs. Couldn't you see the headlines "Palin Pounces Biden - and he liked it"!



The challenge to make a meal on a 20 dollar bill was on and Robin and I went our separate ways. A little later we met up in the card department to calculate whether or not we had gone over our budget. Robin, unfortunately, needed to put a few things back - but I managed to stay under budget the first time around. Click HERE and see what Robin Sue did with her 20 bucks!



On the menu tonight:
Slow cooked Pork Chops
Brown Rice
Spinach, White Bean and Bacon Salad with Maple-Mustard dressing (Cooking Light March 2003)
Baked Apples



Slow Cooked Pork Chops:
Brown 4 or 5 pork chops in a skillet with some Worcestershire sauce and pepper (or any spices you prefer).
Slice half of a medium onion and put in crockpot. Put browned pork chops on top of onions.
Mix a can of Cream of Chicken soup with 1/2 can of water.
Pour soup onto pork chops, cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.



Brown Rice:
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup uncooked rice
1 can beef broth
1 can beef consume



Saute rice in butter until lightly browned. Pour broth and consume and rice into a casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes.



The meal turned out to be wonderful! I have to admit my family thought the baked apples were NOT dessert - and your family might not either. I just told them "What do you expect for 20 bucks"! They proceeded to raid the pantry for Christmas chocolate gold coins! I guess they "Ate" their $20 bucks in chocolate after all!



Check back Wednesday for the recipes for the apples and salad! Don't forget to pop over to the Big Red Kitchen and see what Robin Sue did with her 20 dollars!

10 comments:

Robin said...

This was great fun! I can't wait for the recipes. The salad looks yummy, of course anything with bacon is. Yeah we should have stopped that Biden guy it would have made a great picture! Next time! I don't think my family would have gone for the baked apple as dessert either. Pains!

Anonymous said...

Okay...thank you so much for showcasing the utter fabulousness of Wegmans! I LOVE that store!

Where else can you have sushi, sample wine, and look at beautiful tablescapes, while buying your basic grocery staples? The prices are right too!!!

Joie de vivre said...

Found you from Robin Sue's blog. It looks like you girls had a great time, cheap dinners, and they were lovely dinners to boot!

Anonymous said...

Aren't you two clever! What a great challenge and meal. I've never heard of that store...must be an East Coast thing?

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Great job! Oh, I would of loved to see a Joe and Sarah picture.

Karen said...

This sounds like so much fun and you've got a delicious meal, too! What I'd give to have a Wegmans 30 minutes away from me!

Sheila said...

Your meal not only looks delicious but very hearty for $20 bucks.

I would love to frequent Webman's but it is at least an half hour from me, too. :(

I have never had baked apples without a dumpling, will have to try.

Anonymous said...

What a great grocery store! Love your trip with Robin Sue!

Sabrina said...

you girls are awesome. Thanks for inspiring us to eat well even during lean times.

amycaseycooks said...

What a fun day!! The apples are my favorites. We do not have a Wegman's near where I live, but heard so much about it.