2 Recipes...one EASY and one MEDIUM

I made a Jambalaya recipe I found in the coupon section of the newspaper. It is supposed to feed a family for under $10. Well...IT DID! I actually only spent 3.29 to make this meal. I had butter and garlic at home already. I purchased the rest of the ingredients at the commissary...including 2 coupons. NOT BAD!

2 tbsp butter
Rice a Roni Spanich Rice
garlic clove
1/2 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 pkg Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices. I bought the turkey kind

In large saucepan, over high heat, saute for 5 minutes..
butter
rice only from Rice a Roni box
1 minced garlic clove
chopped onion
chopped bell pepper

Mix in and bring to a boil
2 cups water
diced tomatoes
Rice a Roni seasoning packet
sausage

Lowver heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Remove from heat, stir, and serve with hot sauce to taste.


This was very yummy, very easy, and very quick! The boys weren't big fans of this, but that's ok. I doubt many kids like Jambalaya! They had PB & J with some fruit.

Now for the recipe with MEDIUM difficulty. This meal cost me less than $20, and this was a very healthy, well balanced absolutley delicious meal. That $20 includes a whole bottle of wine when I only needed 1 1/2 cups. I have a lot of staple items since I cook so much...including EVOO, butter, garlic etc. The $20 doesn't include those, but you get my point!

Turkey Cutlet with Tart Cherry Sauce and Garlicky Green Beans...courtesy of Sandra Lee - Semi-homemade!

1 1/2 pounds turkey cutlets cut in 1/2 inch slices
salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tbsp EVOO
1 1/2 cups Merlot or other red wine
1 cal (15 oz) tart cherries, drained
2 tbsp frozen OJ concentrate
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cold butter cut into pieces

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil. Season turkey with salt and pepper.


In a large ziploc bag, combine turkey and flour. Seal bag and shake to coat turkey. Remove turkey from bag and shake off excess flour.


In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add turkey to hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through, adding additional oil as necessary. Transfer turkey to prepared baking sheet and place in oven to keep warm.


Add wine to skillet, scraping up any brown bits in pan. Add drained cherries, frozen OJ, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, cook for 1 minute. Reduce heat, swirl in cold butter, one piece at a time until incorporated.


I let that simmer while I finished up the green beans.

1 pkg frozen green beans, 16 oz
water
1 tbsp EVOO
4 strips precooked bacon, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter

I started steaming the green beans while the turkey was cooking. She says to microwave them, but I prefer to steam them on the stove top. After they are steamed, drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add bacon, garlic, and butter to hot oil. Cook until garlic is a light golden brown, do not let garlic burn!

Add beans to skillet, toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

THE FINISHED PRODUCT!!!

In a nutshell, I was able to feed my family of four 2 dinners for under $25. The meals were very hearty, healthy, delicious, and well balanced. Can't beat that!!!!!