Top o' the bargain week to ya! It's time again for the Hen House Bargain Meal of the week. I'm going to touch on two recipes for ya this week - the traditional St. Paddy's day fare and a recipe for you scoundrels who haven't the decency to be Irish!
Okay, confession time. I have some Irish in me, but I absolutely hate corned beef!! I'm going to post a recipe for it, but I can promise you that you won't find that dish on my dinner table next week! :) Sorry to all who revel in the tradition - it just isn't something I enjoy.
Dinner Idea #1 - Corned Beef and Cabbage
What you need to buy:
2 lbs. Boyle's Corned Beef - On sale for $2.79/lb
3 lbs. cabbage - On sale for .25/lb
Since I don't make this dish, I am borrowing an adapted recipe from Gooseberry Patch that sounds like one I would like if I ate corned beef:
Glazed Corned Beef
2 lb. corned beef brisket ($5.58)
1 T. mustard (negligible)
1 t. prepared horseradish (negligible)
1 T. red wine vinegar (negligible)
2 T. honey (.20)
In a slow cooker, cover brisket with water. Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours, until tender. Place corned beef in an ungreased 13"x9" baking pan. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; brush over beef. Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden; baste occasionally. Makes 3-4 servings.
Toward the end of the cooking time, put some water on the stove and bring to a boil. Once boiling, drop in your cabbage, cut into wedges. To cut down on the cooked cabbage smell, drop in a couple of lemon wedges or half an apple. Cook until tender, about 7 minutes. (Cabbage - .75)
I think I would serve this with some boiled red potatoes. ($1.00)
Total cost of meal: $7.53
Now, for the meal I would love to prepare based on the current Hen House ad! This is a very easy meal with minimal cleanup and everyone loves it.
Dinner Idea #2: Chicken in a Packet
What you need to buy:
KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce - On sale for .96
2 lbs. fresh chicken breasts - On sale for $1.99/lb (Fri/Sat sale)
5 lb. russet potatoes - On sale for $1.50
Chicken in a Packet
2 lbs. chicken breast ($3.98)
1/2 c. KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce (.24)
4 potatoes, sliced thinly (.75)
1 green or red pepper, sliced (.50)
Tear off 4 large pieces of aluminum foil. Divide chicken into 4 servings. Take first piece of foil and drizzle 1 T. BBQ sauce on the middle section of the bottom half. Place one sliced potato on top of sauce. Place chicken breast on top of potato and drizzle with 1 T. BBQ sauce (you can use more if you wish). Top with 1/4 of the sliced pepper. Fold top half of foil over and seal edges. Set on a cookie sheet.
Repeat this process with the other 3 pieces of foil and ingredients. Line up on cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for about 45 minutes until chicken is done.
Alternately, in nice weather you can place these on the grill and cook until done. Be sure and use heavy-duty foil if you use this cooking method.
To serve, cut open the packets. When done, toss them. :) Easy, huh??
Total cost of meal: $5.47
For more GREAT dinner ideas on a budget, be sure and head over to 5 Dollar Dinners!
I partially baked corned beef brisket last night then covered it with foil and put it in the fridge overnight. I put it back in the oven, still covered, on low heat (about 200) this morning and left it for a couple hours. When it was tender I took the meat out of the pan and put in cabbage, baby carrots, and new red potatoes. I baked that for about an hour at 300 and the vegetables turned out beautifully. That's what we're having for dinner tonight. I looooove corned beef!
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for visiting my blog party :)
ReplyDeleteI love corned beef! I have one waiting in the freezer right now. The chicken in a packet looks good, too - I used to make something like that before we had babies (and you know how meals change with babies!) but now I think I should try to make it again. Thanks for the recipe!