Thursday, March 12, 2009

Hen House Bargain Meal of the Week


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!

2 comments:

  1. 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!

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  2. Hi! Thanks for visiting my blog party :)

    I 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!

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