I Can’t Remember

This year, economists are worried that we’ll spend less on Black Friday, and it will negatively affect the country’s economy. First of all, when did how much we BUY as a country matter more than how much we MADE? Secondly, “Black Friday” Sounds pretty ominous, doesn’t it? Last year I remarked that it reminded me of “Black Thursday.” This year, in light of everyone’s financial woes, the comparison is more fitting.

Do not spend so much on holiday shopping this year that you plan to pay it off in May like you do every year. Please, please, just spend what you can afford.

And boycott the stores on the day after Thanksgiving. What’s so “festive” about crowds trying to beat each other to the best deals in order to buy presents for someone they’re not even bothering to spend the day after Thanksgiving with?

If someone’s really important to you, spend the day after Thanksgiving WITH them, rather than spending it away from them in order to buy them a gift. Which would you rather your kids had: a memory of a day spent with you, or a broken toy that ended up in the landfill?

BUY NOTHING DAY:
In North America, for info, go here.
For International information, see here.
If you’re in New York, go to Union Square for a “Buy Nothing Day” celebration. Details here.

Technorati Tags: BLACK FRIDAY, BUY NOTHING DAY, christmas presents, shopping

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

Day Four:

Chicken Enchiladas*

Ingredients:
-one portion of the chicken you cooked last night (or 1-2 cups of cooked chicken), shredded
-1 Onion, diced
-3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
-2 to 3 Tablespoons of oil OR bacon fat
-1 can of Tomato Paste (6 oz.)
-1/2 Tablespoon Cumin
-1 teaspoon of Salt
-(optional) 1 to 2 Tablespoons Chilli Powder or Cayenne
-16 to 24 oz. of shredded cheese (Cheddar or Co-Jack)
-12 tortillas, flour
Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: chicken, crockpot, enchiladas, meal plan, Mexican, slow cooker, Tex-Mex

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

Day Three:

King Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:
-one portion of the chicken you cooked last night (or 1-2 cups of cooked chicken), shredded
-1 can of cream of mushroom soup*
-1 can of cream of chicken soup*
-1 can of diced tomatoes* OR Rotel Diced Tomato & Green Chilies - 10 oz can * OR 1 medium tomato, diced.
-1 bag of tortilla or corn chips, broken into small pieces, OR corn tortillas, toasted(in oven while it’s preheating!) and broken into small pieces
-16-24 oz. of cheese
Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: chicken, crockpot, king ranch chicken, leftover turkey, Mexican, recipe, slow cooker, Tex-Mex

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

Day Two:

Chicken Tacos

Ingredients:
-one portion of the chicken you cooked last night (or 1-2 cups of cooked chicken), shredded
-1/2 onion, diced
-3 Tablespoons of oil OR bacon fat OR butter
-2 small tomatoes, diced OR 1 can tomato sauce OR 1 can diced tomatoes
-1/2 Tablespoon Cumin
-(optional) 1-2 Tablespoons Chilli Powder or Cayenne
-12 tortillas, flour or corn
Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: chicken, crockpot, frugal, Mexican, recipe, slow cooker, tacos, Tex-Mex

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

Tex-Mex Fideo Soup*

Ingredients:
- 4-5 cups of Chicken Broth (or what’s in the slow cooker after you remove the chicken!)
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes OR 2 medium tomatoes OR a large can of whole tomatoes OR 2 cans of Rotel Diced Tomato & Green Chilies - 10 oz can**
- 2 Garlic cloves or 4 Tablespoons of Dried or Powdered Garlic
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 6 oz. of Fideo OR Vermicelli OR Angel Hair Pasta OR Thin Spaghetti Noodles
- 4 Tablespoons of oil, divided (olive or safflower preferred)
- (optional) small jalapeño, de-seeded
- (optional) 1/2 Tablespoon of Chili powder or Cayenne
- (optional) Romano or Queso Añejo
Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: chicken, fideo, Mexican, slow cooker, soup, Tex-Mex, tomato

This week we’ll be making four Tex-Mex 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: Tex-Mex Fideo Soup
Day Two: Chicken Tacos
Day Three: King Ranch Chicken
Day Four: Chicken Enchiladas

Technorati Tags: casserole, chicken, King Ranch, recipe, slow cooker, soup, Tex-Mex, Texas, TexMex

Eating is expensive these days. But Chicken is inexpensive lately–especially if you buy a whole chicken.

“But WHAT does one do with a whole chicken?” I hear you asking.

Go ahead, buy that whole chicken: I have a plan. A plan to feed a family of four for four dinners in a row with one whole chicken. (thus, “Chicken 4 X 4″) And best of all, I’ll share my plan.

First of all, make sure you have a slow-cooker or Crockpot big enough to hold your chicken and three storage containers, one which can be frozen. Next, determine how much you’ll need for your family of four. Assuming there are two adults and two medium-sized children in the family, a 5 lb. chicken should be just right. (adjust the weight up or down according to your family.)
At $1 per pound, that’s only $5 total, or 32 cents per person per meal!
Plus, cooking in a slow-cooker uses less electricity!

On Day One, you will cook the whole chicken in the slow-cooker all day. That evening, you will pull out the chicken, and while you are carving the chicken up for the next three meals, you will make a soup in the slow-cooker with the broth from the whole chicken. The soup plus a sandwich, bread, salad or other side (depending on the recipe) will be your family’s meal for Day One.

On Days Two, Three, and Four, you will use the left-over chicken to make dinner.
Note: this is NOT “batch cooking.” You will still have to cook every night. But, cooking will sometimes be faster because the main ingredient is pre-cooked!

Even better, I’ll give you four styles for your chicken:
Tex-Mex-Style Chicken 4 X 4
American-Style Chicken 4 X 4
Italian-Style Chicken 4 X 4
and Asian-Style Chicken 4 X 4
You could do something different every week for a whole month!
Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: American, Asian, chicken, Chinese, cook, frugal, Italian, leftover turkey, Mexican, recipe, Tex-Mex, whole chicken