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

Oh - Just looking at this salad makes me want to make it again. I had clipped this recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine in March of 2003 - and this was the first time I tried it - but it won't be the last. My whole family loved it and gave it 2 thumbs up!



Spinach, White Bean, and Bacon Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing:
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (15 oz) can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained.
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 (7 oz) packages fresh baby spinach



1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl, stirring with a whisk; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until hot. Place beans in a 2 cup glass measure; microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until hot.
2. Combine onions, bell pepper, bacon and spinach in a large bowl. Add syrup mixture and beans; toss well to combine. Serve immediately. Serves 8



Baked Apples:
4 apples - your choice.
4 teaspoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons crushed walnuts
4 Tablespoons butter
Carmel Ice cream topping

Core apples. Place 1 teaspoon brown sugar in each apple. Place 1 teaspoon nuts in each apple. Place 1 Tablespoon butter on top of each apple. Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Let cool 10 mintues. When serving, drizzle with carmel ice cream topping.

Note to self: Kids do not accept this as dessert, but rather a tasty "Side".



Don't forget to take a look and see what Big Red Kitchen did with her 20 dollars!

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!

2 Cheap Chicks & $20!

About a month ago my sweet little friend over at Big Red Kitchen, Robin Sue, called me with a challenge. Being the frugal mommies we are - she asked if I wanted to be part of a dynamic duo - "2 Cheap Chicks and $20". The concept would be that we would pick different grocery stores and make a gourmet meal for under $20. As soon as she asked I was all over it! Just a quick note here about Robin Sue. Yes - she is freakishly small, and yes I am freakishly tall. My 6 feet put beside her 5 feet make us look more like Mutt and Jeff rather than a dynamic duo. What can I say - I KNOW good things come in small packages and Robin Sue proves that! Click over to her blog, Big Red Kitchen, to see what wonderful things she did with $20!




The challenge was on. We decided our first location would be Trader Joe's. The rules would be to make 3 dishes to feed 4 people for under $20. Sounded easy enough, so I scoured through cook books trying to find cohesive recipes that would lend themselves to such a tight budget.



We brought our calculators, $20, and imaginations! I had visions of preparing a wonderful meal with a gourmet dessert, but when you start adding up all those little ingredients that go into making just one dish, your expectations readjust slightly.



We slowly filled our carts and headed for the check out while holding our breath. Robin was sure she had gone over while I was completely confident in my math skills. I had checked and rechecked and proudly went through the check out with only my 20 dollar bill. All I can say is thank goodness for the "Take a Penny, Give a Penny" dish. Yikes - I had gone over 6 cents!



Here is the finished meal. If you ask me - it was worth the 6 extra cents! See if you agree.



The first side I chose was Baked Honey Onions. I love onions and I feel they play second fiddle too much of the time. I wanted a recipe to highlight this wonderfully tasty vegetable! The recipe I found in my Giant supermarket magazine was just the thing.



Baked Honey Onions
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 large white onions, quartered
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 325. Mix all ingredients (except the onions and cheese) together in a bowl. Coat a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the onions in a single layer in the dish, and cover them with the chicken broth mixture.
Cover onions and bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Return to the oven, and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serves 4.



Green beans are always a hit in my house and what could be better than adding Pancetta to these already yummy morsels!



Green Beans with Pancetta and Brown sugar
1 bag frozen green beans
2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
4 oz Pancetta

Cook Pancetta in fry pan. Continue to remove grease as it cooks but retain it for later use.
Cook green beans in microwave according to package.
Drain green beans and toss with 2 Tablespoons brown sugar. Add cooked Pancetta and desired amount of grease.



Chicken was the last item on my menu. When my hubby and I moved to Rochester N.Y. we were introduced to Chicken Francese. I could not get enough of it when we lived there and sadly - we don't eat it very much anymore. I knew this was the perfect opportunity to introduce my children to one of my favorite dishes. The original recipe calls for skinless, boneless chicken breast, but I was on a budget! Chicken tenders would have to do this time.

Chicken Francese
2.5 lbs. Boneless, Skinless, chicken breasts
2 cups chicken stock
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 olive oil
3/8 cup white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup lightly salted butter
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Flour for dusting
pinch of salt and pepper

1. Season flour with salt and pepper.
2. Lightly dust chicken breast in flour and dip in beaten eggs.
3. Saute chicken in vegetable oil, approximately 3 minutes per side on medium heat.
4. Remove chicken from pan and deglaze with white wine and chicken stock.
5. Reduce liquid by half and add heavy cream.
6. Finish with lemon juice and adjust seasoning.
7. Return chicken to sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!


I could not make an extraordinary gourmet dessert - however with $1.50 left over I treated my family to 3 triangles of a Toblerone bar. Not a bad way to end a meal!



I hope you have enjoyed reading about our $20 adventure! Check back Wednesday for a Weight Watcher's meal and then Friday for a recap on our Gourmet Club that met over this past weekend! Robin Sue and the Dude "Himself" hosted a mighty fine Hoe-down! Can't wait to share the pictures!