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| Poetry On A Plate |
by Tawra Kellam and Jill CooperFor under $6, you can make a special Valentine's Day dinner for two. Tawra and her mom have put together this Valentine menu that is sure to please that special someone! You can add a little romantic ambiance with a nice place setting. Fancy napkins, tapered candles, china place settings and a lace tablecloth add a nice touch. It is relatively easy to find one or two nice settings of china for 50 cents each at thrift stores or garage sales. If you happened to hit the after Christmas sales, you may have found that white taper candles usually get marked down 75% after the holidays. You can also purchase red napkins, lace tablecloths, and red ribbon after Christmas for .50 - $1.00. Try it after next Christmas. You can also purchase things on sale 50% after Valentine's Day and keep them for next year. ... Of course if you're with the one you love, who needs food for Valentine's Day!
French Onion Soup Tomato Basil Salad Maple-Glazed Chicken Glazed Carrots Lemon Potatoes Red Velvet Cake Water with lemon slices tea or coffee with desert French Onion Soup ( $1.15) 2 onions, thinly sliced (yellow works best) (.25) 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine (.10) 2 cups beef stock (made with bullion cubes or beef bones) (.10) 1 bay leaf 2 slices day-old French bread (.20) 1/2 cup mozzarella or Swiss cheese, grated (.50) Melt butter in a skillet. Sauté onions until slightly brown. Add onions to beef broth in saucepan. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Pour into bowls. Place bread on top of each bowl of soup, and sprinkle the cheese on top. Then set under broiler and cook until cheese is melted and brown. This soup will simmer in the crockpot on low overnight. ~*~ Tomato Basil Salad ($1.44) 4 large peeled tomatoes (.79) salt and pepper (to taste) 1 Tbsp. wine vinegar (.10) 2 Tbsp. oil (.05) a cup fresh basil leaves, chopped into small pieces (.50) Dice tomatoes and combine with salt, pepper, vinegar, oil and basil. Serve. You could also add cubes of mozzarella cheese. ~*~ Maple-Glazed Chicken ($1.43 ) 1/4 cup maple syrup (.05) 4 tsp. lemon juice (.05) 1 Tbsp. butter or margarine (.05) salt and pepper (to taste) 4 pieces chicken ($1.28 purchased on sale at $1.34/.lb) Preheat oven to 450. Mix maple syrup, lemon juice and butter together in small saucepan. Simmer for 5 minutes. Spray a baking dish and place chicken in it. Salt and pepper the chicken. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and pour on glaze. Bake for 15 minutes more or until juices run clear. ~*~ Glazed Carrots (.37) 1/2 lb. fresh carrots or baby carrots (.12) 1/2 stick margarine (.05) 6 Tbsp. brown sugar (.10) 1 tsp. cinnamon (.05) 1 tsp. ginger (optional) (.05) Clean carrots and cut into bite-size pieces. Steam 10 minutes in a small amount of boiling water just until tender. Melt margarine in a large skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and ginger. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add hot carrots, stirring well to coat. Remove when shiny and well glazed. ~*~ Lemon Potatoes (.75) 6 new potatoes or 2 medium potatoes, cut in halves or quarters (.50) 2 Tbsp. margarine (.05) 1/2 tsp. lemon peel, grated 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice (.05) 1 tsp. chives, chopped (.10) 1/4 tsp. salt dash pepper dash of nutmeg (all spices) Clean and steam potatoes 20 minutes (until tender). Heat remaining ingredients just to boiling. Pour lemon butter over potatoes and serve. ~*~ Red Velvet Cake (.50 for 2 servings)* 3/4 cup butter 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 tsp. cocoa 1/4 tsp. salt 1 tsp. soda 2 tsp. vinegar 2 tsp. vanilla 1-2 oz. red food coloring 2 1/2 cups flour 1 cup buttermilk Cream together butter, eggs and sugar in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except the flour and buttermilk. Mix well. Add flour and buttermilk alternately. Beat until all the lumps are out. Pour into a greased and floured 9x13 inch pan. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes clean. Frost with Red Velvet Frosting. Red Velvet Frosting 2/3 cup milk 1/2cup flour 1/2cup butter 1/2cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Cook milk and flour until thick, stirring constantly. Cool thoroughly. Beat milk and flour for 1 minute until fluffy. Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add to milk and flour and add vanilla. Mix well. Frosts 1 Red Velvet Cake. *Or purchase a box mix on sale .79 and canned frosting on sale .69. plus .50 for eggs etc. to make the cake $1.48 |
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About the Author: Tawra Kellam is the author of the frugal cookbook Not Just Beans: 50 Years of Frugal Family Favorites. Not Just Beans is a frugal cookbook which has over 540 recipes and 400 tips. For more free tips and recipes visit our web site at www.notjustbeans.com |
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Create My Own Soup 
