Quick tips to save time and money

**sunshine** · 02-19-2006, 11:25 PM

• Cook a pot of rice on Sunday to keep handy for fast dinners during the
week. Rice can be quickly stirred together with soup or leftover meat to
create a tasty casserole.

• Break up a head of lettuce and store in a large zip-loc bag in the
crisper to quickly prepare salads during the week.

• Pre-fill snack size zip-loc bags with Goldfish crackers or cereal for
those times when you are dashing out the door with hungry children. Stick a
pack in your purse to pull out in a traffic jam, dealing with slow cashiers
or after a sports practice.

• Whenever you're cooking, double the recipe and freeze half. You'll
appreciate the convenience of a pre-cooked dinner while your family enjoys
a home cooked meal.

~*~ Muffin Stir-Ins

Blueberry Muffins:
fold 1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) blueberries or 3/4 cup well-drained
canned blueberries into batter.

Cornmeal muffin:
Decrease baking mix to 1 1/2 cup and add 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal.

Granola Muffins:
Stir 1 cup crushed granola into batter.

Oatmeal muffins:
Stir 3/4 cup oats into batter.

~*~ Quick Soups and Stir-Ins
Add 1/2 cup of canned or frozen corn to canned potato soup and sprinkle
with bacon bits for a very easy chowder.

For a quick egg-drop soup, scramble an egg and stir it into simmering
chicken broth just before serving. Sprinkle with chow mein noodles and
chopped green onions.

Liven up tomato or chicken noodle soup with canned or frozen carrots, corn,
peas, green beans, broccoli or cauliflower florets.

Add chopped, cooked fresh red bell peppers to canned vegetable or chicken
noodle soup.

~*~ Saucy Ideas:

Combine favorite frozen vegetables, such as broccoli florets or sugar snap
peas, with refrigerated Alfredo sauce and serve over pasta.

Spaghetti or Alfredo sauces can be easily heated and poured over cooked pasta.

Cooked broccoli or asparagus is also delicious topped with Alfredo sauce.

Add purchased teriyaki, sweet and sour or hoisin sauces to your stir-fry
meat and vegetables for a quick Oriental meal.

Jazz up grilled or cooked beef, chicken or pork by topping with barbecue,
Worcestershire or steak sauce.

Stir refrigerated pesto sauce into your favorite cooked vegetables.

~*~ Speedy Salads
When time is at a premium, purchase preshredded coleslaw mix in the produce
section of your supermarket. Seven cups of mix equal 1 small head cabbage,
shredded, plus 1 cup shredded carrots.

For a quick salad, toss Broccoli, Cauliflower and Chestnuts with pasta and
prepared salad dressing.

Garnish tossed salad with asparagus spears.

Dice melon such as cantaloupe, honeydew or watermelon. Combine with chopped
onion, minced chiles, chopped cilantro, mint or basil, and fresh pineapple
or lime juice. Season melon salsa with salt and pepper and serve with
grilled meat, fish or poultry.

~*~ Salad Companions
Round out a salad meal with something a little different:

Sweet quick breads and muffins such as banana, cranberry and blueberry.

Buttered tortillas, rolled and skewered with colored toothpicks.

With seafood salads, assorted little fish-shaped crackers.

~*~ Chicken & Fish Toppers
A simple poached or pan-fried chicken breast or fish fillet makes a
delicious last-minute dinner. To make it a little more glamorous, try
topping each serving with one of the following:

Chicken
A spoonful of homemade or purchased salsa.

Sliced black olives and thin strips of roasted red bell pepper.

A quick relish of minced red onion and chopped tomato with Italian dressing.

A splash of teriyaki sauce.

Fish
Fresh lemon or lime juice and chopped fresh parsley, chives, thyme, lemon
basil or other favorite herb.

A cool sauce of plain nonfat yogurt mixed with finely chopped cucumber and
grated onion.

Bottled ranch salad dressing and a sprinkling of chopped chives.

~*~ Great Go-Withs
Toss coleslaw blend with bottled Italian salad dressing.

Offer baby carrots (buy them already washed and peeled in the produce
aisle) with purchased dip.

Toss cucumber slices and chopped onion with a sprinkle of balsamic or
regular vinegar.

Dress up ordinary steamed carrots with a sprinkling of tarragon.

Saute washed fresh spinach with olive oil and garlic.

Make a quick salad using a bag of purchased prewashed greens tossed with
dressing.

~*~ Top a Vegetable
Simply top an on-hand ingredient with something else to create interest and
"wake up the plate."

Top baked potatoes with vegetables in cheese sauce.

Top cooked broccoli, cauliflower or other vegetable combinations with bacon
bits, croutons or shredded cheese.

Season cooked broccoli or cauliflower with a sprinkle of dry Ranch salad
dressing mix.

~*~ Stir in and Serve
Stir-fry sugar snap peas with oil and garlic; toss with sliced almonds.

Start with cooked pasta, rice or couscous. Stir in cooked broccoli, peas,
sugar snap peas or asparagus.

~*~ Simply Chutney
An often forgotten condiment, good chutney can be purchased in your
neighborhood grocery store. Serve it over a soft cheese, like Brie or a
spreadable cheddar. Surround the platter with crackers and slices of apple.

~*~ Chilled Seafood
Budget permitting, purchase already prepared seafood such as shrimp or
stone crabs. Arrange on a beautiful platter or shallow bowl filled with
crushed ice. Add your signature dipping sauce and a few twists of lemon and
lime for garnish.

~*~ Rice Stir-Ins:

Easy, Cheesy Rice: Add butter and parmesan cheese to hot, cooked rice.

Emerald Isle: Add peas and finely chopped fresh mint to hot, cooked rice.

Baked, but not Potato: Add crumbled bacon and sour cream to hot, cooked rice.

Lemon Zinger: Add butter, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest to hot, cooked rice

How Sweet It Is: Add cinnamon, sugar and butter to hot, cooked rice.

Maui Wowi: Add crushed pineapple and green bell pepper slices to hot,
cooked rice.

Sesame Treat: Add toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil and thinly sliced green
onions to hot, cooked rice.

Country Bumpkin: Add cream gravy to hot, cooked rice.

Health Nut: Add toasted sunflower seeds and raisins to hot, cooked rice.

Dracula's 'Shroom: Add mushrooms and garlic sauteed in butter to hot,
cooked rice.

Gardener's Delight: Add chopped fresh basil, chopped tomatoes and fresh
corn-off-the-cob to hot, cooked rice.

Leek Freak: Add butter and cooked leeks to hot, cooked rice.

Chantilly Rice: Add chanterelles, dried apricots and toasted almonds to
hot, cooked rice.

Cantonese Please: Add broccoli flowerets, sesame oil, chopped toasted
peanuts or cashews to hot, cooked rice.

Pass the Parmesan, Peas: Add garlic sauteed in butter, peas and parmesan
cheese to hot, cooked rice.

Polish BBQ: Add kielbasa sausage and barbecue sauce to hot, cooked rice.

Unkissable Crunch: Add sauteed garlic and onions, and toasted walnuts to
hot, cooked rice.

Moo Goo Rice: Add sauteed mushrooms, snow peas and sliced water chestnuts
to hot, cooked rice

Mama Mia: Add tomato basil sauce, cooked zucchini and Italian sausage to
hot, cooked rice. Top with parmesan cheese.

Rice Ole: Add black beans, minced red onion, chopped bell pepper, chopped
cilantro, and vinaigrette to hot, cooked rice.

Corn on the Range: Add corn and barbecue sauce to hot, cooked rice

For Southerners Only: Add cooked okra and stewed tomatoes to hot, cooked rice.

Porky Peas: Add crumbled bacon and peas to hot, cooked rice.

Hoppin' John: Add black-eyed peas and sliced green onions to hot, cooked rice.

Veggy Medley: Add garbanzo beans, shredded carrots, ripe olives, parsley,
and ricotta cheese to hot, cooked rice. Top with parmesan cheese.

Mock Apple Cobbler: Add sliced apples, cinnamon, brown sugar, chopped nuts,
and vanilla yogurt to hot, cooked rice.

Rice Parmigana: Add mixed vegetables, your favorite spice or herb, butter,
and parmesan cheese to hot, cooked rice.

South of the Border: Add diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, shredded
monterey jack cheese and chopped cilantro to hot, cooked rice.

Hearty Rice: Add marinated artichoke hearts and grated Parmesan cheese to
hot, cooked rice.

Little Bit of Italy: Add asparagus tips, toasted pine nuts, red and yellow
peppers to hot, cooked rice. Top with Parmesan cheese.

U.S.S. Rice: Add naval orange slices, chopped red onions or scallions, and
vinaigrette dressing to hot, cooked rice.

Feeling Slightly Mexican: Add fresh avocado, tomato chunks, fresh cilantro,
and lots of lemon

Steam-it-Up: Add steamed zucchini and carrots, butter, parmesan cheese to
hot, cooked rice.

Nuts about Garlic: Add sauteed garlic and toasted pinenuts to hot, cooked rice.

Let's Salsa: Add cooked beans, salsa and shredded cheese to hot, cooked rice.

Trail Blazer: Add yogurt and fresh fruit to hot, cooked rice. Top with granola.

Pooh Bear's Favorite: Add milk, raisins, a little sugar and a dash of
vanilla to hot, cooked rice. Simmer until thickened. Drizzle with honey.

Farmer's Scramble: Add scrambled eggs, sausage and green onions to hot,
cooked rice.

Rice Cream: Add vanilla ice cream, dash of cinnamon to hot, cooked rice.

Indian Gold: Cook rice with a pinch of saffron. Add cooked green beans.

Tea-Time: For extra flavor, toss an herbal tea bag into the water while
rice cooks.

Beefed-Up Rice: Cook rice in beef broth. Add sauteed onions, cashews, and
raisins. Top with green onions

Rice Worth Crowing About: Cook rice in chicken stock. Add sauteed onions,
mushrooms, green pepper, and toasted pine nuts.

It's Greek to Me: Cook rice in chicken broth with chopped onion and a clove
of minced garlic. Fold in feta cheese and chopped parsley.

Curry in a Hurry: Saute curry and turmeric in saucepan. Add rice and stir
to coat. Add water and cook rice. Top with chopped peanuts or cashews.

Zest of the Best: Saute uncooked rice, dried currants and orange zest in
butter. Add water and cook until rice is tender.