Cherry Ham

Can of cherry pie filling

Mustard

Brown sugar

1. Combine cherry pie filling, 1/2 tsp of mustard, and 1 Tbsp of brown sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes.

http://youtu.be/jU14XLwK0bk

Cucumber Shell Salad

16 oz pkg of medium shell pasta

16 oz pkg of frozen peas

Cucumber

Red onion

Ranch salad dressing

1. Thaw peas
2. Cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Meanwhile, halve and slice cucumber and chop red onion.
4. Drain and rinse pasta in cold water. In a large bowl, combine pasta, peas, cucumber, and onion. Add 1 cup of ranch salad dressing. Toss to coast. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.

http://youtu.be/0URAQo7KnzU

Not Your Same Ol’ Spinach, Swiss, and Artichoke – $1.94/serving

Unsliced round loaf of sourdough bread

1 lb of Monterey Jack cheese Butter Green onions Poppy seeds

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Slice 1 lb worth of Monterey Jack cheese.
3. Melt 1/2 cup of butter.
4. Chop 1/2 cup of green onions.
5. Cut the bread lengthwise and crosswise without cutting through the bottom crust. Insert cheese between cuts. Combine butter, onions, and 1 Tbsp of poppy seeds. Drizzle over the bread.
6. Wrap in foil. Place on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Uncover. Bake 10 minutes longer.

http://youtu.be/aNtiSprvNR4

Breadcrumb Brussels – 68¢/serving

1.5 lbs brussels sprouts (or 500g or 6 cups) Salt Butter Breadcrumbs (plain or Italian-seasoned) Italian seasoning (if using plain breadcrumbs) Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325°
2. Cut an X in the core of each brussels sprout
3. Put in pot with salted water and cook 8-10 minutes. Drain and place in shallow ungreased baking dish.
4. Combine 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning (if using), 1 Tbsp of melted butter, and 2 Tbsp of grated Parmesan cheese in a bowl.
5. Drizzle brussels with 2 Tbsp of melted butter.
6. Sprinkle with breadcrumb mixture.
7. Cover and bake for 10 minutes.
8. Uncover and bake for 10 more minutes.

 

 

 

 

Maple Cream Waffles and Lemonade Fruit (& Technically Veg) Salad – $4.18/person

Pumpkin Pie Waffles

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups of milk
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 Tbsp of sugar
• 4 tsp of baking powder
• 1/4 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla
• 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice (adjust amount for your personal taste)

1. Preheat waffle iron
2. Beat eggs with hand beater until fluffy.
3. Beat in remaining ingredients just until smooth.
4. Spray waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray. Pour mix into iron. Cool until golden brown. Serve hot.

Maple Cream Sauce

• 1/2 cup of maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 8 oz pkg of cream cheese
• 2 splashes of rum extract
• 3 Tbsp of spiced rum

1. Combine syrup and butter and cook over low heat in a pot until butter is melted.
2. Stir in brown sugar until dissolved and remove from the heat.
3. Soften cream cheese in microwave and stir/smooth by hand.
4. Gradually pour maple butter mixture into cream cheese, mixing well.
5. Add rum and rum extract and stir until combined.

Store leftovers covered in fridge. To reheat, melt in microwave until it reaches desired consistency.

Whipped Cream

With a hand beater, beat 1 cup of heavy whipping cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form. I use the organic 36% stuff and it’s delicious. It’s heavier than the non-organic, which is usually 33%. Using a large bowl is important as it will expand a lot. ‘Soft peak’ means that if you touch the surface, a tiny foamy mountain will remain where your finger touched the surface. Turn the beater off to do this. Not just for safety, as its also easier to see. Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp of icing (confectioners) sugar. Continue beating until it reaches the consistency you want. Don’t overbeat or it will start to get clumpy. Don’t be surprised if this whole process takes longer than you expected. It took about 7 minutes of steady whipping for my little old electric hand beater to get the job done. If you are doing it by hand, it will take a lot longer.

Toppings

Crush 6 ginger snaps. Sprinkle on top of waffles. Drizzle with 3 Tbsp of maple cream sauce and 3 Tbsp of maple syrup. Top with a large dollop of freshly whipped cream.

 

Fruit (& Technically Veg) Salad

Slice 1 lb of fresh strawberries and cube 3 pears.

Slice 3 ribs of rhubarb and place in skillet with 3 generous splashes of Grand Marnier and 2 generous splashes of honey. I tell people that it’s 3 Tbsp of GM and 2 of honey, but let’s be real here… When it comes to sugar and alcohol, my hand turns into lead. Stir frequently on low-medium heat for about 6 minutes. Add rhubarb and any remaining liquid to bowl of strawberries and pears.

Serve with a dollop of lemonade cream (see below).

Lemonade Cream

In a pot, combine 2 eggs, 3/4 cup of lemonade concentrate and 1/3 cup of sugar, cover, and bring to a boil over low heat. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, whip your whipping cream. Follow the same directions as above, but don’t add vanilla or icing sugar. Just keep beating until it starts to look like Cool Whip and then STOP.

When the lemonade mixture reaches room temperature, fold into the whipped cream. Voila!

 

Price Breakdown:

Pumpkin Spice Waffles $1.07/waffle

Maple Cream Sauce & Crushed Ginger Snaps $1.56/serving

Fruit Salad 54 cents/serving

Lemonade Cream $1.01/serving

Total: $4.18/person

Parmesan Breadsticks – 64¢/breadstick

Grated Parmesan cheese

Italian seasoning

White bread dough (Thaw it 24 hours ahead of time if its frozen)

Butter

Pizza sauce

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Combine 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese and 1 1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning in a shallow bowl. Set aside. Divide dough into 32 sections. Roll each into a 5″ rope. Twist two pieces together. Moisten ends with water and pinch to seal.
3. Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a small bowl.
4. Dip in dough sticks in butter, then in cheese mixture.
5. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-14 minutes. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

Green Beans Amandine

1 lb green beans (fresh or frozen)

Slivered almonds

Butter

Lemon juice

Seasoning salt

1. Trim ends off green beans. Cut into 2″ pieces.
2. Bring beans and 1/2 cup of water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes. Drain and set aside. Cook 1/4 cup of slivered almonds in 2 Tbsp of butter over low heat in a large skillet. Stir in 1 tsp of lemon juice and 1/4 tsp of seasoning salt. Add beans and heat through.

Glazed 3Fruit Salad

1 1/2 lbs strawberries

4 bananas

2 14 oz cans of pineapple chunks

Pouch of strawberry glaze (apparently this also comes in a jar, but I’ve never seen it that way)

1. Quarter strawberries
2. Slice bananas
3. Drain pineapple cans
4. Gently toss fruit in a long bowl.
5. Prepare strawberry glaze according to package directions. I buy the one from MPK Foods so I mix with 2/3 cup of sugar and then gradually add a cup of hot water and whisk vigorously until smooth.
6. Fold glaze in the fruit. Chill for at least an hour.