Thankfully, we have never been big meat eaters, but in these lean times (ar-ar), there are two types that are in the budget — ground beef and London Broil. When I get a hankering for steak, it’s the latter to my rescue — and still only less than $1 a serving!

Farmer’s Wife has been asking me for months to post how I cook London Broil, so after I just prepped mine for tomorrow night’s dinner, I was inspired to share.

First, the stores will call it “London Broil,” but that’s actually a cooking method. Most times, it’s flank steak, so you may look for that term when seeking recipes. My “buy” price is $1.77 a pound for the “family size” packages. Now, let me tell you for two-person households, it may seem intimidating when buying those large packages, but I finally figured it out a couple years ago — you cut the meat in half and freeze the other. Normally you are left with a neat 1-1.25 pound of meat. Perfect for one or two people (and with a little leftover). A 2+ pound cut I think is perfect for four people.

Another secret? I use it for beef stew meat. I normally cut it into pieces, and then freeze it. It’s ready to go later and it’s much cheaper than traditional beef stew meat, which is usually $2.99 a pound plus. I’ve also pre-cut it very thinly and used for stir-frys. It’s fantastic!

Now here’s the dirty secret about London Broil — it’s a tough piece of meat. This is not rib eye. But if you treat it right, you can get your steak fix for a fraction of the cost.

I did some research tonight on how to cook London Broil. The big warning is not to poke or stab it (because it lets the juices out). You can massage it or hit it with a mallet. But I’ve never been one to beat my meat (heh-heh).

It really comes down to three tips:

I normally broil mine (on foil to make cleanup easy) for 7 minutes on the first side and 6 minutes on the second — this is medium/medium rare. Then I remove it to the serving platter and wrap it in a blanket of foil to rest for 5-7 minutes. This helps keep it juicy (and continues the cooking process). For rare, about 6 minutes on the first side, and then 5 minutes on the other side. And for medium, I would suggest cooking it medium rare, and then microwaving till medium (about a minute or two).

After cutting it very thinly with a sharp knife, serve. I like A1 steak sauce, Worcestershire or horseradish sauce on the side. Add smashed potatoes and a veggie, and you have a great, inexpensive dinner.

Try London Broil — it’s a great budget saver and delicious, too.

You know I hit the corned beef special this past week, and can’t wait to put it all in the slow cooker. Here is a great recipe I posted last year.

I’ve been using this recipe for a couple years now, and it works like a dream. Corned beef and cabbage in the slow cooker! Throw everything in, and just cook away. I found it on Allrecipes.com, and just followed the reviews to tweak it.

It came in handy last night, when we had dinner guests coming and I had to work. I put the corned beef in the a.m. and then added the veggies when I got home in the afternoon (aided by a 5-minute cook in the microwave — I didn’t have time to prep them in the morning, so I put the potatoes in with the brisket and steamed the carrots separately). Works perfectly either way.

And you probably have one more day to hit the corned beef specials at the grocery store, where I got my tip-cut for 99 cents a pound.

Yum (and any leftovers are great for corned beef and hash)

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, rough dice
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound baby carrots or carrots cut in chunks
3 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (3 pound) corned beef brisket (cut in half, if need be)
Brisket spice packet (usually included)
1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges

Directions:

Combine water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, pepper and contents of spice packet. Place brisket in bottom of a 5 quart slow cooker (fat side down). Pour liquid over.

Top with potatoes and carrots.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, placing cabbage wedges over mixture for last 1-2 hours to steam.

Tips: Use red potatoes, and no peeling needed.
Serve with spicy mustard or horseradish with the meat.
And, you know to core the cabbage, don’t you?

I just finished scanning the grocery store ads for this week and realized the specials stink this week! But I’ve got to make dinners for the next seven days — what to do? Time to call on the pantry, freezer and what is well-priced this week, that’s what!

This is when the tactic of stockpiling comes into play. With a well-stocked freezer and pantry, you don’t need to be held captive by fluctuating food prices. But it takes a little planning, being creative, open to new recipes and using what you have.

This week, the only good specials I can find are on produce (mainly salad items) and eggs for 99 cents. That’s it! So I started planning tonight. I found two great egg recipes (for dinner) via my email subscription to General Mill’s “Dinner Made Easy” web site. And lo and behold, this week they sent me ideas for suppers made with eggs!

Two looked great to me — the Bacon and Tomato Frittata and the Chile Rellenos Egg Souffle.

These recipes appealed to me ’cause they used the ingredient du week — eggs — and also called for items I have stocked: cheese, chilies (albeit diced), tomatoes (the salad deals this week) and bacon (in the meat drawer when I got it for $1.50). Add in a vegetable, salad, biscuits (stocked ’cause they were on sale for 99 cents) or tortillas (also stocked), and I have two dinners down!

A lot of ethnic dishes call for inexpensive ingredients, so next I went Italian. I snagged Italian sausages with a raincheck and coupons last week for $1.49, so I am going to fry them in large chunks and make penne pasta (50 cents)with Neuman’s Cabernet Marinara ($1) and frozen garlic bread (all purchased when they hit their lowest price). Dinner will end up costing no more than $4 tops. Dinner number 3 done (and I will have enough leftover sausage for a “cook once, eat twice dinner”).

Dinner number 4 will most likely be a fixed up frozen pizza (another ethnic dish) that I snagged for free with a raincheck. I will add fresh veggies and cheese to fix it up. This will be the plan this week when I am running short on time for dinner. Add a quick (sale) salad, and I am done.

I’ve got a lot of tuna in the pantry (44 cents), so I will either make tuna melts, tuna noodle casserole or just tuna sandwiches with a salad to cover dinner number 5. That cheese in the fridge is going to come in handy (and was also on special this week).

I’ll probably pull out half of the London Broil I got this past week for $1.44 a pound and team with some of the 99 cents 10 pound bag of potatoes I picked up also this past week for dinner number 6 and to make a change of pace.

Dinner number 7 will probably be a wild card — either a soup and salad (with the cheap Chunky soup I bought two weeks ago for 49 cents each) or a replay of one of my “cook once, eat twice dinners” (I’m thinking this bratwurst casserole I made this past week with the brats I got on special for $1.49.)

And with that, I’m done. I will probably spend about $15 or less using the egg, cheese and produce specials, and I was not victim to the hike in grocery prices this week. A little planning and being creative can net you so much in the end! Sounds like a dang good menu plan to me!

I love recipes that are incredibly easy but still deliver bang-up results, and I found a new one last night for chicken breasts on allrecipes.com. I read the reviews and altered the recipe accordingly, but was so surprised that five ingredients could net a dang-good dinner that took zero brain power.

I served the chicken breasts over rice (made simple with this recipe) and a vegetable on the side (this time I did broccoli), and I was done. The best part was I didn’t even need to defrost the boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you could easily adapt it for fresh, bone-in ones. And the results were wonderful!

Try this recipe next time you are not in the mood to cook, but want a comforting dinner.

Creamy Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

Four frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 10.75 oz. can of Cream of Chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 a packet of onion soup mix
Two splashes of milk to thin slightly

Directions:

1. Spray 9-12 inch casserole dish with Pam or oil lightly.
2. Put frozen breasts in dish.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, onion soup, sour cream and two splashes of milk.
4. Pour soup mixture over breasts.
5. Bake at 325 degrees, uncovered for 55 minutes.

To serve: Place breasts over cooked rice, spoon extra sauce over and garnish with parsley or a dash of paprika, and vegetable on the side. Voila! Dinner in an hour!

Note: For fresh, bone-in chicken breasts, raise oven temperature to 350 and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Guess what I am making tonight? Got the recipes printed out for Christmas dinners, so I think I will round out the night by spending a little, easy time at the stove. This turns out great! A re-post from last year.

Along with most people this year, I’m trying to keep the holiday budget in check. That’s why I decided last night to make fudge as a wonderful, sweet — and inexpensive — gift for the neighbors.

I had never made fudge before last night, and was surprised how simple it was to whip up! There are any number of recipes out there, but I called upon the tried and true one found on the back of the Nestle Morsels bag. Easy-peasy — and it only cost less than $3 to make an 8X8 dish of delectable fudge. I should be able to net about two to three small gifts out of a little time at the stove!

So why not try making fudge this year?

Delectable Fudge

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed)
2 Tbl. butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
11.5 oz. package of chocolate morsels (any type)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (if desired)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Line 8-inch-square baking pan with foil.

Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a full, rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallows, chocolate morsels, vanilla extract and nuts (if desired). Stir for 1 minute until all marshmallows and chocolate are melted. Pour into prepared pan and refrigerate for 2 hours. Lift from pan, remove foil, and cut into 1-inch tasty treats.

Note: I still have enough marshmallows and the rest of the evaporated milk to make a second batch, so you may wish to pick up a second bag of morsels.

Just had to share this recipe for a killer heavy appetizer.

The proof is in the pot — there was none left over after our Homeowner Association meeting tonight!

Best part? I made ‘em the night before, and then uncovered the cookie sheet and put in the oven for 12 minutes before the party. I just had to transfer to a platter, and they were hot and ready!

They were gone in a heartbeat — proof of a good recipe.

These are wonderful (and are heavy enough to soak up any alcohol great):

Easy Ham and Cheese Appetizer Sandwiches

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons poppy seeds (optional)
1 onion, grated
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared Dijon-style mustard
2 (12 ounce) packages white party rolls
1/2 pound chopped cooked ham
5 ounces shredded Swiss cheese

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.In a medium bowl, mix together butter, poppy seeds, onion, Worcestershire sauce and prepared Dijon-style mustard.
3.Slice rolls in half horizontally and set aside tops. Spread bottoms with the butter mixture. Top with ham and Swiss cheese. Replace tops.
4.Arrange rolls in a single layer in a medium baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 10 to 12 minutes, until rolls are lightly browned and cheese is melted.

Tip: I cut the recipe in half for a smaller group (this serves 12). Also, you may not need all the butter mixture, but make it a healthy coating.

The cashier at the grocery store tonight asked why I bought two packages of low-fat cream cheese, and I said, “To make dip, of course.” I go through gobs of it at the holidays, and it is so easy to have on-hand. This is my hands-down favorite recipe and very pantry/fridge friendly.

Honestly, I get asked all the time for this recipe. Try it! It was a hit at Thanksgiving. Best part is you can make it a day or two in advance. It’s the perfect recipe for the holidays!

Herb Dip

Place the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, green onion, parsley, dill, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer or Kitchen Aid mixer, if you are so blessed. Serve at room temperature for veggies. Chilled for crackers. Make a day ahead and the flavors blend even better.

Makes 2 cups

(To convert to fresh ingredients, 1 teaspoon dried = 1 tablespoon fresh)

Let me know how the recipe works for you!

I love this recipe for so many reasons. It’s for those tortilla pin wheel wraps that everyone buys at the store for parties. You know, those tortillas filled with different items and then sliced. But they are so easy to make for your own party, and at a fraction of the cost!

This recipe is great because:

A) It’s easy
B) You can make it a day in advance
C) It’s cheap to make
D) It’s vegetarian
E) It uses standard ingredients
F) They’re good!

I made ‘em yesterday for Art’s 50th birthday get-together this evening, and there were only two that were left. Now that’s a good appetizer! P.S. From reading the reviews on allrecipes.com (as I highly recommend), it’s best to cut the Ranch dressing in half. Just take that as a recommendation. I also added a smidge of the prepared dressing, itself, to soften the cheese up, but just a smidgen. Oh and the recipe is easy to cut in half for smaller gatherings (as I did for tonight).

Hope you enjoy them, too. This is one of my go-to recipes for a larger gathering.

Party Pinwheels (serves 15 plus)

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix (use half at first and use to taste)
2 green onions, minced
4 (12 inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup diced celery
1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, and green onions. Spread this mixture on each tortilla. Sprinkle red pepper, celery, black olives, and cheese (if you’d like) over the cream cheese mixture. Roll up the tortillas, then wrap them tightly in aluminum foil.
Chill 2 hours or overnight. Cut off ends of the rolls, and slice the chilled rolls into 1/2 inch slices.

Ah, the deviled egg — bastion of any holiday party or barbecue. In our family, I am always the one drafted to make the yellow boats of flavor, and I have learned some tricks along the way to make the perfect deviled eggs.

I’m not going to include any recipe, because, frankly, there are so many, but my simple one comes straight from the Betty Crocker cookbook — 6 eggs, 1/4 cup mayo, 1 tsp. vinegar and mustard, 1/8 tsp. salt and a dash of pepper. I also add 2 Tbl. of finely diced white onion. That’s about it.

But there is so much more to making the perfect deviled egg than a recipe — there are tricks to making them come out perfectly:

I hope this refines your deviled egg skills, so soon people will make them a request for you, too.

Ever since I got into cooking, I love to watch Food Network, mainly to find recipes that I think are delicious and relatively simple to do. That’s why I was thrilled last night at 2:30 a.m. as I watched a DVR’ed episode of “Party Line” with Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh.

They were the first people to win the Food Network’s “Next Food Network Star” contest. But sadly, their show never took off. I don’t know why, because their recipes are very approachable and I love Steve’s tips on how to throw a party (they are professional caterers).

Perhaps the U.S. was not ready for a gay couple hosting a cooking show, but I choose not to believe that. Thankfully, you can still catch their shows late, late at night on Food Network. Honestly, set your DVR and see if you don’t at least pick up one good recipe or tip from the show!

I did last night — this fantastic, easy recipe for Truffle Brownies! They looked delicious and it was rated 5 stars on the Food Network site. The recipe says it makes 8 bars, but Dan says (and I concur) to cut them in small bite-size pieces because they are so rich. This is a perfect dessert for when the weather is hot, and also one you can make it far in advance. Gotta love that!

Try it, and check out “Party Line” — perhaps Steve and Dan might just come back to TV!

Truffle Brownies

Recipe courtesy Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh

Ingredients
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 stick margarine
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Chocolate ganache for topping, recipe follows
Special equipment: 9-inch round foil cake pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Using a hand held electric mixer, beat the eggs and salt together in a large mixing bowl until frothy. Add the sugar and beat until the eggs are thick and pale yellow, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat an additional 30 seconds.

Put the margarine and chocolate in a microwave safe container and microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir to insure that the chocolate has melted. Microwave an additional 30 seconds, if needed.

With the mixer running, pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Add the flour and beat 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat an additional 30 seconds.

Spray the cake pan with a pan release spray and pour in the brownie batter. Place the pan on the top rack of the oven and bake 15 to 20 minutes until the center is barely set.* Remove the pan from the oven and let cool. Top with the ganache and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour.

To serve, remove from freezer and slice immediately. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.

*Cook’s Note: If tested with a toothpick the center will still be gooey. If tested by touch, the center will be soft. It will set once frozen.

Chocolate Ganache:

1/2 cup (4 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream

Put the chocolate chips and cream into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove the bowl and stir with a whisk or fork until well mixed. Use immediately. If using the ganache later it will need to be reheated.

Yield: 3/4 cup