Boy, do I feel like an amateur! I only use my crockpot once a week!

There’s a woman named Stephanie who used her crockpot every day in 2008!!

Her most frugal recipes can be found here.

I was delighted to find out that crockpots cost about 2 cents an hour to operate. That’s saving $$ and the environment!

Technorati Tags: crockpot, dinner, frugal, save money, slow cooker

[This is part of the Italian Style Chicken 4 X 4 Meal plan.
For information on the Meal plan, go to Chicken 4 X 4 Meal Plan..]

Chicken Carbonara Casserole

-one portion of the chicken you cooked (or 1-2 cups of cooked chicken), chopped or shredded
-4 slices of bacon, chopped
-1 small onion, chopped
-3 Tablespoons of Butter or Olive Oil
-16 oz, shaped pasta, cooked and drained
-6 to 8 oz. of mozzarella and parmesan
-optional black pepper to taste
-optional frozen peas, thawed and drained
(more…)

[This is part of the Italian Style Chicken 4 X 4 Meal plan.
For information on the Meal plan, go to Chicken 4 X 4 Meal Plan..]

Spaghetti with Chicken Bolognese Sauce

-one portion of the chicken you cooked (or 1-2 cups of cooked chicken), chopped or shredded
-4 oz of tomato paste (reserved from last night!)
-1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
-1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
-3 Tablespoons Butter
-2 Tablespoons powdered garlic
-3 Tablespoons Basil
-1 Tablespoon Marjoram or 1/2 Tablespoon Oregano
-1 teaspoon Thyme
-1 teaspoon Nutmeg
-1 teaspoon Sugar
(more…)

[This is part of the Italian Style Chicken 4 X 4 Meal plan.
For information on the Meal plan, go to Chicken 4 X 4 Meal Plan..]

Home-made Polenta

-2 cups of Cornmeal
-6 cups of cold water

STEP ONE: Mix water and cornmeal in a pot.
STEP TWO: Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until done. (Polenta can be served when it reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes. If you prefer your polenta firmer and dryer, cook until it pulls away from the sides.)

Chicken Cacciatore

-one portion of the chicken you cooked (or 1-2 cups of cooked chicken), chopped or shredded
-1 small onion, diced
-2 cloves garlic
-1 carrot, peeled and diced
-1 small bell pepper, diced
-2 oz of tomato paste (reserve the rest of the can for tomorrow!)
-1 large can of mushrooms, rinsed and drained OR chopped fresh mushrooms
-1/2 cup of wine or water
-2 T olive oil
(more…)

[This is part of the Italian Style Chicken 4 X 4 Meal plan.
For information on the Meal plan, go to Chicken 4 X 4 Meal Plan..]

Italian Chicken Noodle Soup & Provolone-Tomato Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Ingredients for Soup:
- 4-5 cups of Chicken Broth (or what’s in the slow cooker after you remove the chicken!)
- 1 cup Acini de Pepe or Orzo or stars or the smallest pasta you can find
-4 small cloves of garlic, minced
-OPTIONAL: 1 cup of Fresh Basil OR Fresh Spinach OR Endive OR Swiss Chard, chopped*
(more…)

This week we’ll be making four Italian dinners out of one chicken.

For instructions on cooking the chicken in the slow cooker, go to Chicken 4 X 4 Meal Plan.

Day One: Italian Chicken Noodle Soup
Day Two: Chicken Cacciatore with Home-made Polenta
Day Three: Spaghetti with Chicken Bolognese Sauce
Day Four: Carbonara Casserole

Technorati Tags: cacciatore, chicken, chicken noodle soup, frugal, Italian, lasagna, pasta, recipe, spaghetti

My Grinchy Christmas carol:
“Every year, I get the SAME catalogues.
Every year,I ask them in August not to send me catalogues.
Every year, I get these catalogues in November, call them to ask them not to send me any, and they tell me that it will take up to 3 months to process my request.
Every year …(repeat above)”

Here are the worse repeat offenders:
(don’t ever buy anything from them, you’ll get catalogues from them til you’ve been dead a decade!)

title nine
Brookstone
MindWare
Magic Cabin (I love their stuff–but they’ll be getting no $ from me this year!)
Garnet Hill
Company Kids
Bits and Pieces
Gaiam (aren’t they supposed to be environmentally friendly?)

Don’t buy an\thing from these companies!–you WILL be annoyed by them!