Thursday, April 28, 2011

Growing Fruit in the Garden

Local, homegrown fruit could just possibly be my most favorite thing in the entire world. I have been trying for years to add more fruit to my garden space. I've had some successes and some colossal failures. But I refuse to give up.

1. Cantaloupes


I have had tremendous success with growing cantaloupes. The sweetest, most tasty cantaloupe I have ever eaten was from my garden. But I'm not sure I am going to grow it this year until I have a better plan of growing the melons. The plants take up so much space and grew out of my box and spilled into the yard. So I need to do a little research to figure out how to grow vertically. Have any of you had success with growing cantaloupes vertically?

2. Watermelons


Two years ago, I grew watermelon and I made the terrible mistake of harvesting the melon too early.



I cried. Needless to say I was a little gun shy last year. Just like the cantaloupe, the plant was enormous and I lack the space, so I have to figure out a way to grow vertically.

3. Strawberries

I go to the local U-Pick strawberry patch every year. Local, fresh from the vine, ripe strawberries are divine. We love strawberry season so much that I decided to try to grow strawberries at home. Because of my lack of space I decided to try one of the Topsy Turvy hanging strawberry planters.


I don't have a picture, maybe I was too annoyed to think to take a picture, but this was a FAIL. My neighbor's didn't survive either. The plants dried up. I watered faithfully, but the water seemed to just flush out the sides and didn't really soak in. Honestly, I'm not sure what happened, but I am still trying to figure out how to incorporate strawberries into my garden.

4. Blueberries

This will be my 3rd year with blueberries, although my two bushes have been very stingy with the berries. I know they need A LOT of sun, so hopefully they are getting what they need where they are located. I am noticing a lot of flowers on one bush this week, so I better cover them with a net or the hungry birds will take them.



5. Raspberries



I bought these plants at a yard sale last year. But unfortunately, not one single berry last year. Of course, the volunteer pumpkin plant that took over the box where I have the raspberries planted didn't help. This year, I am keeping all vine plants away from the raspberries and hopefully, they will give me some fruit.

The raspberries are in the back corner. You can see a few canes poking out between the pumpkin and cantaloupe vines.


6. Rhubarb

Technically, rhubarb is a vegetable, but I intend to use it in pies and cobblers, so I'm including it in my post about fruit. I planted it last summer and you aren't supposed to harvest or eat the first year. So I have high hopes for this year. I just read online that I am supposed to cut off the flower that is growing in the middle of the plant to encourage leaf growth. But so far, so good here.



I guess I have had more failures than successes, but I am not giving up on fruit.
Do you grow fruit in your garden? Do you have any advice for me and other gardeners out there? Let us know in the comments. Also, if you are a blogger and have a post about fruit in your garden, please leave a link to your post in the comments.

This post is linked to Tuesday's Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage.

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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Want a Month of Free Groceries? Stop Wasting Food | Kitchen Economics


As I was flushing a very old, forgotten-about, slimy Greek salad down the disposal last week, it occurred to me that I have gotten a little lax about leftovers at our house. (I didn't compost the salad, because it had feta cheese mixed in) We certainly eat leftovers, but by the end of last week, we were (1) lazy and (2) lazy.

Eating leftovers is one of my tenets of saving money in the kitchen but I am even guilty of wasting food at times. I started wondering how much money I am actually wasting when I throw food away.

According to the EPA, Americans dump 34 million tons of food a year and it accounts for 14% of total municipal waste.

According to this article, a family of four wastes about $600 worth of food a year. The article doesn't state were it got that statistic and I tried to find it elsewhere, but if you really think about it, it probably doesn't take long for $600 to add up nowadays when you really take a look at the food we dump.

$600 is what many Americans spend on food each month. By reducing our food waste we could almost give ourselves a free month of groceries. Imagine having a month where you didn't spend any money on food.

Some ways to avoid food waste:
  • Put the leftovers in your freezer. With the exception of maybe pasta and rice dishes, a lot of food can be frozen. Cooked chicken and veggies can be frozen and used in soups or casseroles at a later date. Raw vegetables like carrots, peppers, onions and parsley can be shredded or chopped and bagged and stored in the freezer for future dishes.
  • Offer the extra food to a neighbor or family member, if you think it will go uneaten.
  • Make one night a week, "Raid the Fridge" Night. One night a week, raid the fridge to get rid of leftovers. Set the leftovers up buffet style. Every one's plate might look different, but you'll at least use up the leftovers and reduce the waste.
  • Brown Bag lunch. Take the leftovers to work and avoid eating out on your lunch break.

How much food do you think you waste annually? Could it add up to a month's worth of your groceries? What are some things that you do to avoid food waste? Let us know in the comments.


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This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.

Image: scottchan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Friday, April 22, 2011

Celebrating Our Earth One Change At A Time


Happy Earth Day 2011!

I remember my first Earth Day celebration. It was back in 1989 and I was a college sophomore. My Biology II class went on a field trip to Pittsburgh's Earth Day celebration. It was in downtown Pittsburgh at a park where the three rivers meet, if I remember correctly. There weren't a lot of people walking around, mostly hippies and college students. Earth Day has come a long way.

I have come a long way too. From composting and saving rain water to using cloth napkins and reusable grocery bags, I have made many changes in my life over the last 20 years. When I was a college sophomore, I didn't even know how to cook scrambled eggs, let alone grow my own food.

Honestly, most of the change for me has transpired in the past 10 years, not 20 years. Buying our home, having children, and trying to become debt free have all had a hand in encouraging me to be a better steward of the environment.

But I'm not perfect. I have forgotten my reusable grocery bags as recently as yesterday. I still use Comet to clean my toilets. And I gave up on cloth diapers as soon as my babies started eating solid food. (I couldn't stop gagging.) But I do the best I can and I am better at it now than I was 20, 10 and even 5 years ago. Some changes take time to make and some become routine rather quickly.

Some of the changes that I have made over the years:



What changes have you made over the years to be a better steward of the environment? Let us know in the comments.

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Image: Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Thursday, April 21, 2011

My Backyard Compost


My composting adventures all started about 9 years ago when our local Penn State Cooperative Extension office offered a free composting bin (the round one in the picture) when you attended their free composting seminar. It sounded like a win-win for me, so I signed up. I was just starting to garden, and quite frankly I had no idea what a compost was until I saw the ad for the seminar. About a year later, our township offered square composting bins for $12, which was quite a steal, so I bought one and I was on my way.

So what did I learn at the seminar? That composting is a great way to recycle yard and kitchen waste, return nutrients back into your soil and that it is quite easy. It's kind of hard to screw it up and when you do, it is easy to fix.

I have a system going, but I am a laid back composter. For starters, a compost needs to be turned regularly to decompose. During the winter, I still add kitchen waste to the compost, but I rarely turn it because I'm a wimp in the cold. I literally run to my bins, dump the food scraps and run back in the house. Usually, I'm wearing my bathrobe. Yes, I'm sure it is quite the sight.

There are a few basics though that you need to know. A compost needs two types of materials to develop: Carbon/Brown(dry) and Nitrogen/Green(fresh). A compost that is 3 parts carbon/brown to 1 part nitrogen/green is best. Too much green and you'll end up with a slimy, smelly mess full of fruit flies. The brown components will prevent that from happening. But honestly, I'm not measuring what I add to the bins and my compost decomposes quite nicely.

  • Some common examples of Carbon/Brown sources: bark, cardboard, (shred for easier decomposing), corn stalks and cobs, coffee grounds & filters, rinsed egg shells, dried leaves, newspaper (shred for easier decomposing), pine needles, tea leaves, straw
  • Some common examples of Nitrogen/Green: cow, poultry, horse, pig manure, vegetable & fruit waste, non-treated grass clippings, hair, non-treated garden waste
  • What should not be composted: meat, fish, grease, bones, oily foods, dairy products, solid waste from cats, dogs or humans, diseased or insect infested plants, weeds that have gone to seed (I avoid composted weeds altogether), I also don't add invasive plants like mint, wood ashes, bbq charcoal, plastic, metal glass, branches or wood chunks.

How I Compost:
As you see above I have 2 bins. I stopped adding new materials to the round bin last fall. After a long winter sitting idle, I am turning it regularly and hopefully it will be ready to be used in a month or two.



I have been adding kitchen scraps to the square bin all winter and I'll keep it going until I empty my round bin and then I'll start adding to the round bin. I'll leave a little compost in the bin, so that I have some carbon/brown to start with, otherwise, I might end up with too much of a green/fresh mix and here come the flies. When I've stopped adding to a bin, it is supposed to "cure" for 4 weeks before you use. I don't really time myself, but when the compost is crumbly and dark brown, I add it to the garden or flower beds.


I collect vegetable, fruit waste, coffee filters all year round in my plastic tub that I keep in the freezer. When it fills up, I take it to the compost. In the colder months, we eat more frozen produce and we don't have as much waste and the tub doesn't fill up very fast. It will start filling up much faster soon as we increase our intake of fresh food in the spring and summer. I like my freezer method because it eliminates any smell and fruit flies in my kitchen.





I don't add a lot of grass clippings into my compost for a couple of reasons. (1) We used to have a dog and our back yard was his potty. (2) Grass clippings are abundant and will fill up the bins fast. (3) All of the grass will turn your compost into a green, wet mess, like I mentioned above. You'll need a lot of carbon/brown materials to counteract all of the grass. So, we just leave our grass clippings lie on the ground.

We have very few trees on our property which leaves us with little to no dried leaves in the fall. So I take my neighbors fallen leaves and I fill my bins every fall. The dried leaves are carbon/brown and will help decompose all of the kitchen waste that I send to the compost every winter. Extra dried leaves are good to have on hand through out the spring/summer to help when your pile becomes too green/fresh. If possible, store extra dried leaves in bags or an extra bin for this purpose.

It is very important to turn the pile regularly to aerate the pile. Aerating your pile wakes up all the micro-organisms that are munching. The more you turn your pile, the faster you'll get usable compost. Composting can take 6 weeks to 12 months, depending on how much you are turning your pile. Now that the weather has warmed up, I take a garden fork and turn the pile every time I add to the compost. I am also turning the pile that I am curing right now.

The compost needs moisture to help speed up the process. The moisture level should be that of a damp, wrung-out sponge. Bins also should not be in full sun, as the full sun will dry them out faster. Unfortunately, my bins are in a full sun corner of my garden. It is really the only spot I have for them and because they are black, plastic bins, they get very hot. I have to constantly add water to the bins in the hot summer. When I know we are getting rain, I might go out and open the bins up to let the rain in, otherwise I use water from my rain barrel. I just have to remember to close them up to avoid critter dining.

My bins were very inexpensive, but they are small and I fill them up quite fast in the summer. What I like about my bins is that they have lids to keep critters out. I have a major critter problem in my yard and until we get another dog, critters will continue to treat my back yard like their own personal buffet.



Compost bins are easy to make yourself with recycled wood pallets or plastic garbage containers. You will find hundreds of DIY ideas with a simple google search.

I am really glad I started composting. I know I am a geek when I say it is fun, but it really is and I think it is going to be a great lesson to teach my kids. The cycle of our compostable garbage, from kitchen waste to compost to garden to table, is fascinating.

Although my favorite part of composting might be what sprouts up every year out the sides of the bins. Last year, a pumpkin plant started growing out of the side of one of my bins.



Do you have a compost? If so, how is your system different? Would you like to start composting and have questions? Let us know about it in the comments.

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This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday and Your Green Resource at The Greenbacks Gal.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Stock Up & Save With Pre-Holiday Grocery Sales | Kitchen Economics Link Up

Easter is four days away and I can smell my mom's baked ham now. Divine.


The 2-3 weeks leading up to most holidays is a great time to stock up on seasonal food, especially meat. In my sales circulars this week, prices for hams range from 79 cents a pound to $2.49/pound, depending on the type and cut you desire; some of the prices are 50% off of the normal price. This week, I'm buying a boneless ham at advertised at $1.69/lb, that is less than half price. I'll bake the ham and freeze for future meals.

We should see some great deals on ground beef, hot dogs and all of the fixings for picnics right before the summer holidays: Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day.

Of course Thanksgiving is the best time to buy turkeys. I think the best deal I have ever seen was 25 cents a pound, but the limit was one turkey per customer card (Boo!). The 2 weeks leading to Thanksgiving are a bargain shoppers dream. You'll find deals on just about everything that is included in a turkey dinner. I stock up my freezer, pantry and I like to buy extra to donate to the food bank.

Christmas is also a good time to buy turkeys, hams and baking ingredients. I recently used the last of the 5 lb bags of flour that I got for 99 cents each last year. I went through that stash fast with my Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day addiction. And right before New Year's, you'll see great deals on shrimp, seafood, and pork.

Are you taking advantage of the Easter holiday grocery deals right now? What other holiday bargains do you stock up on? Let us know in the comments.

What cost cutting tip do you have for the kitchen? Join the link up below.

Welcome to the Kitchen Economics Link Up ~ Cost Cutting Tips to Help You Save Money in the Kitchen. A few Link Up guidelines:
  • Please link a your cost-cutting kitchen tip. If you are not a blogger, please let us know your tip in the comment section.
  • Please post the link to your tip post, NOT to your homepage. To do this, click on your tip post, copy and paste the whole url address into the Link up widget.
  • I also ask that you post a link back to Family Balance Sheet in your article or grab the badge that is in the top left of the site.
  • If you are reading this post via a reader or email, you will need to click through to post your link and to visit others who have linked up.
I'm looking forward to reading your tips and saving some money in the kitchen.



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Monday, April 18, 2011

Oatmeal ~ A Quick, Healthy & Inexpensive Breakfast


We take breakfast very seriously at our house. It is the first thing that I think about in the morning and I have passed that on to my kids.

When my oldest was about 2, we noticed that she was possibly developing pink eye as we were putting her to bed one night. I didn't sleep well that night, certain that my daughter was going to wake up screaming because she would be unable to open her eyes. Morning came and we heard her yelling, "I want faffle, mama, I want faffle". When I went to get her, she was standing in her crib, with her eyes pasted completely shut from pink eye and all she could think about was her favorite waffles for breakfast...that's my girl.

One of our favorite breakfasts is hot oatmeal. It is so easy to make and easy to adapt to your taste. It makes for a very hearty breakfast. When my kids eat it in the morning, I don't worry that they are going to be starving in about an hour.

It is also relatively inexpensive. A 42 oz container of name brand oatmeal has about 30 (1/2 dry) servings and costs about $3.69, which calculates to about 12 cents a serving. This would go down even more if you buy the oatmeal on sale and with a coupon, or buy the store brand. Price dictates whether or not I buy Quaker Oats or the store brand. I have not noticed a difference in taste or quality between the two.

Hot Oatmeal
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 cup milk - This is where you can be creative with almond milk, coconut milk or soy.
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 2 Tbsp wheat germ (optional)
  • your favorite dried fruit, frozen fruit or fresh fruit. My favorite topping is frozen blueberries.
Mix oats, milk, honey, cinnamon and wheat germ in a bowl. Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. Stir well. Oatmeal will be very hot, Mix in the toppings and a splash more milk if the oatmeal is too thick.

Enjoy!

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Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Revitalize Dried Out Baby Carrots | Kitchen Economics Link Up

My kids love baby carrots with dressing as a snack, so I buy them often when they are on sale. I had forgotten about a bag and a half in the fridge and when I found them, they were dried out and just not that appetizing for any of us. The thought of throwing away and wasting those carrots drove me crazy, so...

I pulled out my handy food processor and zipped the carrots through the small shredder blade.

I put the shredded carrots in a freezer bag and in the freezer for future use. (Once in the freezer, I lay the bag flat and spread out the carrots.) When you are making soups, chilies, and casseroles, just break off what you need. They come in handy for my Turkey Veggie Meatloaf, Vegetable Lasagna with Eggplant, Zucchini and Carrots, Baked Turkey, Macaroni and Cheese.


I have also done this with green and red peppers. If I don't think we will use the peppers before they go bad, I'll clean them, chop them up and put them in a freezer bag for future soups and casseroles.

What cost saving kitchen tip do you have? Join the link up below.

Welcome to the Kitchen Economics Link Up ~ Cost Cutting Tips to Help You Save Money in the Kitchen. A few Link Up guidelines:
  • Please link a your cost-cutting kitchen tip. If you are not a blogger, please let us know your tip in the comment section.
  • Please post the link to your tip post, NOT to your homepage. To do this, click on your tip post, copy and paste the whole url address into the Link up widget.
  • I also ask that you post a link back to Family Balance Sheet in your article or grab the badge that is in the top left of the site.
  • If you are reading this post via a reader or email, you will need to click through to post your link and to visit others who have linked up.
I'm looking forward to reading your tips and saving some money in the kitchen.



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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

How To Peel a Kiwi



Kiwis were on sale for 5/$1 this week. I don't think I have ever bought a kiwi. Although, I'm not sure why. When I brought them home, I decided that there must be an easier way to peel them than what I did with the first one.

In my google search I found this video from Always Order Dessert and peeling the other 4 kiwis went far more smoothly.






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Monday, April 11, 2011

Nine Recipes to Get Your Grill Season Started

Birds are chirping, forsythia is blooming, grills are burning. It is spring time.


Have you fired up your grill yet this spring? I don't grill too much through the winter, mainly because it is (1) cold and (2) the grill is most likely covered in snow. Here are nine Grilling recipes to get you inspired to fire up your grill:

1. Red Pepper & Feta Turkey Burgers



2. Apple and Blue Cheese Feta Burgers



3. How to Grill Chicken Breast and Not Dry It Out Like the Sahara



4. Grilled Garlic Lemon Shrimp



5. Grilled Salmon with Peach Mango Salsa



6. Grilled Sausages with Peppers and Onions Hobo Pack



7. Grilled Garlic Rosemary Red Potatoes



8. Grilled Summer Squash with Parmesan and Fresh Herb



And last, but certainly not least. Number 9 will knock your socks off.

Grilled Peaches with Homemade Whipped Cream



Happy Grilling!

What's on your grill tonight? Let us know in the comments.


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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

New to Couponing? It Doesn't Have To Be Extreme

My humble coupon case:





If you are new to couponing or even the subject of saving money on groceries, watching TV shows, like Extreme Couponing on TLC, can be overwhelming or intimidating.

I guess it is possible to buy hundreds or even thousands of dollars worth of groceries for pocket change, but nobody needs 62 bottles of mustard...or 70 containers of detergent...or 40 boxes of sugary cereals.

I believe the grocery bill is one of the easiest categories of the household budget to reduce and you don't have to be an extreme couponer to accomplish the task. I use coupons but they are not my only method to reducing our grocery spending.

There are lots of ways to save money on groceries without sacrificing the quality of your diet, the time you spend with your family and your closet space. Check out these links to some of my past posts on the topic:

I DO use coupons. I use them weekly. I love finding coupons for the foods and products that we use. Aside from the newspaper inserts, you can find printable coupons at online sites, such as Coupons.com. You'll find a variety of coupons for products like:

If you get your coupons via the newspaper and you want to plan ahead? Sign up to receive an email alert of the upcoming Sunday Coupon Preview.

Do you shop at stores like: Baker's City Market Dillons Fry's Gerbes Hilander JayC King Soopers Kroger Owen's Pay Less QFC Ralphs Scott's Smith's Carrs Dominick's Genuardi's Pavilions Randall's Safeway Tom Thumb Vons ShopRite? You can sign up at CellFire Coupons and load coupons directly to your store loyalty card. You just swipe your card at checkout to redeem the coupons.

There are many ways to save money on groceries and coupons are part of it, but it doesn't have to be obsessive and it doesn't have to be extreme.

Have you heard about the new reality tv show, Extreme Couponing? Did you watch it? I watched about 30 minutes of it, but when I saw food stock piled in the master bedroom, I decided I had seen enough.

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Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. See my disclosure policy for additional information.

How to Make Homemade Chicken Stock on the Stove Top - Kitchen Economics Link Up

Homemade chicken stock is an easy way to stretch your grocery dollar, especially when you buy your whole chicken at your buy price. My buy and stock-up price is .79/lb.


I make chicken stock two ways, depending on how I intend to cook the chicken. When I roast a chicken, I make chicken stock in the crock pot. It cooks overnight and in the morning, your kitchen smells wonderful.

But when you want or need stock and you don't have a lot of time, my second method is very easy. It is also my preferred method during the warmer months, when I don't want to turn on the oven.

Homemade Chicken Stock on the Stove Top
  • 1 whole roasting chicken (5-7 lbs), giblets removed
  • 1 large onion, outer paper removed, quartered
  • 2 carrots, cleaned, cut into large chunks
  • 3 celery stalks, cleaned, include leaves if available
  • 1 whole garlic bulb, outer paper removed, cut in half
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
  • 15-20 sprigs parsley

1. Place all of the above ingredients into a large stockpot. Fill pot with enough water to cover about 1-2 inches over the ingredients, probably about 3 quarts.



2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, uncovered, for about 1 ½ - 2 hours, until chicken is cooked through. Skim off any foam that might form and rise to the top.

3. Carefully, remove chicken from stock pot and place in a large pan. Keep stock on a low simmer. When chicken has cooled down enough to handle, remove meat and use as desired. Place the bones back into stock pot and cook for another hour or so. If time is a concern, this additional cooking time can be skipped.

4. When stock is finished simmering, carefully strain through a fine sieve or colander into a large 4.5 - 5 quart pot or bowl. Discard the bones, vegetables, and herbs.



5. Stock can be used immediately, or once stock has cooled completely, place in the refrigerator overnight.



The next day, skim any fat that has risen to the surface. Stir well and place in freezer containers. Will last about one week in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer.



The stock can get very gelatinous and thick and that is a good thing. Do not be alarmed. When you cook the stock in your soup or dish, it will thin out.



I reuse 8 or 24 oz glass jars to freeze the stock.



Print recipe for Homemade Chicken Stock on the Stove Top

Do you make your own chicken stock? How does your method/recipe differ from mine? Let us know in the comments.

Welcome to the Kitchen Economics Link Up ~ Cost Cutting Tips to Help You Save Money in the Kitchen. A few Link Up guidelines:
  • Please link a your cost-cutting kitchen tip. If you are not a blogger, please let us know your tip in the comment section.
  • Please post the link to your tip post, NOT to your homepage. To do this, click on your tip post, copy and paste the whole url address into the Link up widget.
  • I also ask that you post a link back to Family Balance Sheet in your article or grab the badge that is in the top left of the site.
  • If you are reading this post via a reader or email, you will need to click through to post your link and to visit others who have linked up.
I'm looking forward to reading your tips and saving some money in the kitchen.



Thanks for reading. If you would like to receive FREE updates of FBS, there are four ways to do so:

Monday, April 4, 2011

Chicken Cornbread Potpie


This hearty dish mixes together fairly quickly and is a crowd pleaser. My 5 year old exclaimed, "Mom you're the best cooker!"

Chicken Cornbread Potpie
Filling:
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 cups homemade chicken stock, or store-bought
  • 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
  • 12 oz bag frozen mixed vegetables
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ pepper
  • 1 tsp Italian herbs, or your favorite herb that goes well with chicken
Topping:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup cornmeal
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¾ cup buttermilk, or regular milk
  • ¼ cup olive oil, or canola oil
  • 1 large egg

The filling:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute to soften, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Add the flour and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking while slowly adding the stock. Bring filling to a boil, stirring the entire time. The filling will start to thicken.

4. Add the chicken, vegetables, salt, pepper and seasonings and mix the filling together well.

5. Pour filling into a 11 X 7 baking pan that was lightly coated with cooking spray or olive oil. Set aside to make the topping.

The topping:
1. In a bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda.

2. Combine the milk, egg and oil and add to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

3. Spread the mixture over the filling. Place baking dish on a rimmed cookie sheet in case of potpie bubbling over. Bake about 20-22 minutes until the topping is golden brown and baked completely.



This dish goes well with a salad and homemade applesauce.

Print recipe for Chicken Cornbread Potpie.

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This post is linked to $5 Dinner Challenge

Friday, April 1, 2011

Spring Clean...Your Finances

You spring clean your home; why not spring clean your finances? Welcome in the beauty of the season with 5 Steps to Spring Cleaning Your Finances



  • Review your 2011 Financial Goals. Did you make some financial goals for 2011 back in January? When was the last time you reviewed them. Take some time this month to review your goals. Are you taking the steps to where you want to be? If you didn't make any goals in January, take some time to plan for the balance of the year.


  • Create or update your balance sheet. The Family Balance Sheet is a form that I created to help me communicate the state of our finances with my husband. It is a one page, visual reminder of our assets (checking, savings and retirement accounts), our liabilities (our debts) and our financial goals.


  • Check your credit report for errors or unauthorized activity.. You are entitled to a FREE copy of your credit report. There are three separate credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can get a credit report from each of them one time a year. The easiest way to obtain one is to go to www.annualcreditreport.com, a site that joined the three companies together. My husband and I each obtained one report this week and it took about 5 minutes each. In 4 months, we will obtain a another report from a second company and 4 months after that we will obtain a third report. It is recommended to obtain reports from all three because they each might have different information about you. I decided to stagger my requests so that I can monitor through out the year. My husband's report was clean, but I noticed one thing on my report that I am going to investigate. It might not be anything to worry about, but I'm going to look into it anyway.


  • Clean your home office or work space. File, purge, shred and wipe down surfaces to start the second quarter fresh.


  • Organize your financial paperwork. One of my most popular posts is, How Long Should I Keep My Financial Records?. The post reviews what is recommended for bank statements, bills, credit card statements, household records, legal documents, pay stubs, receipts and taxes. If you are having a hard time closing your filing cabinet, then it is time to clean it out.

Have you done any spring cleaning to your finances lately? Are you planning on doing any of the above steps? Let us know in the comments.

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This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as MOM.