Nora's Hungarian Cabbage Rolls

Nora showed Marne and me how to make these before they moved back to Hungary. Since that was a while ago, I may have forgotten some things. Nora, feel free to make any corrections to the recipe! These are definitely delicious, though.

1 head green cabbage
1- 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
2-3 cups white rice
sweet paprika
vegetable soup seasoning mix (Nora used Knorr brand I think)
1 large onion
oil for sauteing
1-2 lrg cans tomato sauce (I don't remember for sure!)

Wash and core the cabbage. Steam/boil the cabbage in salted water in pot. As leaves soften, take them off and out of the water. Trim out the hard center vein and cut the leaves in half. Chop up the smaller inner leaves and reserve. Also reserve water used to steam the leaves.

Cook onion until softened in oil in saucepan. Mix raw pork, paprika, salt, pepper, uncooked rice, vegetable soup mix and onion together in bowl; season to smell.

Place 1-2 tbsp of pork mixture on a cabbage leaf and roll up tightly, tucking in the ends. Do this until all pork mixture is gone. Place about half of the reserved chopped cabbage in the bottom of a pot and arrange cabbage rolls tightly on top. Top with remainder of chopped cabbage.

Fill the pot with the water reserved from steaming the cabbage leaves. Use a plate on top of the cabbage rolls to hold them down and cook for about 30 minutes or until pork and rice are cooked. Add the tomato sauce the last 5 minutes. Bring to a boil for a few minutes to combine the tomato sauce and water. Serve with sour  cream (I mean the real stuff people...full fat!) and french bread.

Bountiful Baskets

Have you heard of Bountiful Baskets? If not, you need to check into seeing if there is a pickup in your area. Look at all the fruits and veggies that I can get for ONLY $16.50!

This is what I picked up this morning:

2 grapefruit (my friend gave me her two so I have four pictured)
8 oranges
5 apples
1 container blueberries
6 large tomatoes
4 onions
1 head cabbage
1 bunch asparagus
1 5lb bag red potatoes
1 bag (abt 2 lbs) green beans (I forgot to put this in the photo)
4 jumbo red peppers
4 medium green peppers
1 bunch romaine lettuce

Do you know how much this would cost if I bought it all at Walmart? I compared prices today.

2 grapefruit @ .54 each = $1.08
8 oranges @ .48 each = $3.84
5 apples@ $1.17 lb = $2.34
1 container blueberries = $2.98
6 large tomatoes@ $1.34 lb = $1.34
4 onions@ .46 lb = $.55
1 head cabbage@ .46 lb = $.70
1 bunch asparagus@ $3.48 lb = $2.61
1 5 lb bag red potatoes = $2.97
1 bag (abt 2 lbs) green bean@ .44 lb = $.88
4 jumbo red peppers@ $1.14 each = $4.56
4 medium green peppers@ .78 each = $3.12
1 bunch romaine lettuce = $1.48

Total $29.10, with tax total would be $30.17.

That is a savings of 45%! Not overly huge, but something. It is over a $10 savings, and that is good for me!

With Bountiful Baskets you never know what you are going to get, but it is always 50% fruit, 50% vegetables. Try it out if it is in your area!

Chicken and Biscuits

This is an easy crockpot meal. Perfect for Sunday dinner. Our family loves this meal with our favorite Drop Biscuits. I usually make this at least once a month in the fall and winter.

Sorry, no photo!

· 2 envelopes chicken gravy mix
· 2 cups water
· ¾ cup chicken broth
· 1 garlic clove, minced
· 1 Tbl minced fresh parsley
· 1-2 tsp chicken bouillon granules
· ½ tsp pepper
· 1 large onion, cut into wedges
· 3-4 chicken breasts (I use two and it is plenty for us)
· 3 Tbl flour
· 1/3 cup cold water
· 10 biscuits

Directions: In a slow cooker, combine gravy mix, water, broth, garlic, parsley, bouillon, and pepper until blended. Add the onion and chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. At this point, shred your chicken if you want it shredded. Increase heat to high. In a small bowl, combine the flour and cold water until smooth. Gradually stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook for 1 hour (but I usually only cook for 20 minutes and its just fine!) Use chicken gravy to top biscuits.

Can also serve on top of rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.

Drop Biscuits

We love these biscuits at our house. I make them all the time! They are fast to throw together too. Because they are drop biscuits it takes less time than rolling and cutting.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk (can also use homemade buttermilk: 1 cup milk & mix in 1 Tbl white vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes)

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda onto a sheet of wax paper, then sift again into a bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. (There will be small butter lumps. Don't worry, they cook in nicely.)

Add buttermilk and stir with a fork until a dough just forms (dough will be moist). Drop onto baking sheet or baking stone with a spoon.

Bake until pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature. Makes 6-10 biscuits, depending on the size you drop them.

Make Your Own Condensed Soups

Back in 2008 I learned how to make my own condensed soups...specifically cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and cream of celery. But I most often use cream of chicken. Making these soups yourself is so much healthier! And it is SO easy! I got away from doing this for awhile but I am back doing it again. It has helped me with my 2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan.

Here is the recipe for cream of chicken soup. I made it just last night for my family to use in gravy for Hawaiian Haystacks. It tastes so much better than the canned version. Plus, it helps me use my food storage.

Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
1 c. Magic Mix
3/4 c. Chicken Broth (either from a can, bouillon, or liquid from canned chicken)
1 t. Dry Parsley
Dash of Onion Salt

Mix together with wire whisk over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.


Magic Mix
2 1/3 c. powdered milk
1 c. all purpose flour
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, room temperature (NO margarine!)

Combine together in a mixer bowl. I use my Bosch. Whip up nice and thoroughly until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Put in the fridge and use for a variety of recipes, including condensed soups. (Using it for chocolate pudding is really good!) Will keep in the fridge for several months.

Quick Chicken & Rice Burritos

This recipe is FAST, easy and delicious! It is now a regular on our menu. Everyone loved it at our house.

Original Recipe Source

• 1 (12.5 oz) can canned chicken, drained
• 1 pkg taco seasoning mix (or 1/8 c. homemade mix)
• 1 (10 3/4 oz) can condensed Tomato Soup
• 1 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cup uncooked instant white rice (like Minute Rice)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 12 flour tortillas

1. Add chicken to a skillet and break up into pieces.
2. Mix in the seasoning mix, soup, water, and rice. Bring to boil over medium heat.
3. Reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 5 minutes until the rice is tender and water is absorbed.
4. Place 2 Tbsp of shredded cheese in the center of each tortilla. Add some of the chicken/rice mixture to the center on top of the cheese and roll up burrito style.

2012 Menu Planning

I blog for Pinching Your Pennies and this month I am doing a series I am calling the 2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan. Here is what I am doing this year to cut down on my grocery bill:

CRACK-DOWN PLAN
1. I would like to spend no more than $300 per month for my family of 6. We are starting to eat more fresh foods so I am leaving my budget flexible at the beginning until I see how much we eat and how much things will cost. I will adjust if necessary.
2. We will eat out no more than once per month. That includes Little Ceaser’s Hot N Ready Pizza (which has become too much of a friend to us).
3. I will plan my menus out a month at a time. I would like to get 6 months at a time if possible. Meal planning always helps me spend less at the store and takes the headache out of the end of the day.
4. Cook from scratch as much as possible.
5. Start couponing again as much as possible for the foods we eat.
6. Use supplies from my food storage and stockpile to fuel my meals. This will get us used to the food I store as well as rotate what I have.

In case you are interested, here is my January Menu Plan. It is a pdf file in Google Docs. I am starting to plan out my menus a month in advance. I have already done January and February! It feels so good.

You can follow along if you like. Through the next  month I am posting about my progress, if I am staying on budget or not, and lots of tips and helpful hints. Here are the posts I have made so far.

2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Menu Planning
2012 Grocery Budget Crack-Down Plan: Menu Planning Binder