Oct 7, 2017 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
So a while ago I told y’all what memes are. Then I shared the power of three. That was fun. The power of three was a fun post to share. [See what I did there?]
Today I want to combine the above with one more: Your Message.
Let’s say you’re in the kitchen and don’t know what to cook. You have chicken in the fridge, but you’re not sure how to use it. Whatcha gonna do? Call Ghostbusters? [Sorrynotsorry. Had to throw a little October in here somehow.]
Frankly, My Dear . . . : What’s Your Social Media Recipe?
Back to the cooking without direction thing. If you don’t know what to do with the chicken, there are a few possibilities:
- You can let it sit in the fridge until it stinks
- You can eat it raw and get sick
- You can try to cook it and hope it turns out okay
- You can look for a recipe and give it a go
Where do you start when you don’t have a recipe but you know you need one? You ask, right? You call Mom, you Google “How to cook a chicken”, you buy yourself a cookbook. Whatever it takes. You research.
Now, let’s flip the switch. Let’s suppose you’re the one with the information. How are you gonna get that fresh-out-of-college, I-has-no-skills person to pick up your recipe? Easy peasy. You let them know you have it.
Social media platforms are your time to shine. This is where you say, “I have this to offer,” and then . . . wait for it . . . you offer it! Crazy, right?! I know, but there it is all sweet and sassy like the tea you know I drink.
- Don’t know what platforms to use? Ask.
- Not sure how to do it? Check Google.
- Hit or miss on your message? Try a few recipes. Change it up. Make it your own.
And don’t forget the seasonings. Ain’t nobody like eating a dry chicken. Add some fixins to the mixin’ and pretty soon you’ll be selling your recipe like the pro you know you are.
Ooh, one more morsel before I go: You won’t always be perfectly original. And a few times you’ll burn the toast. But when you find your stride, take what you’re given and add your own touches, you can make it better. Practice makes perfect. So don’t stop learning. Ever.
Frankly, My Dear . . . : F. Scott Fitzgerald
Now. Get out there and season your world!
TWEET THIS: What’s your social media recipe? @RealMojo68 #socialmedia #foodie #recipe
With a dash of media and sprinkling of marketing,
Happy Socialing!
~Molly Jo
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Aug 18, 2014 |
My Real Italian Kitchen: Polenta and Sauce
WinCo is still one of my favorite places ever. My last two grocery shopping trips stocked my pantry so thoroughly, I’ve not been back for well over a month. When you’re on a budget for time as well as money, that’s a big deal.
Last month, I picked up a tube of ready-made polenta, with absolutely no idea what to do with it. It stared at me from the refrigerator drawer every morning. It begged me for attention every evening. I still wasn’t sure how to prepare it. Luckily, WinCo directed me to their polenta recipes on their website, including how to make it from scratch. I also searched the internet for other creative cooking ideas.
Polenta is an Italian cornmeal that can be made into a porridge, or sliced for baking or frying. As a porridge, it’s a delicious breakfast or side dish. You can slice it extra thin to add to your deli sandwich. Fried or baked, it can replace pasta or rice for an easy lunch or dinner. It’s even a great mini breakfast when topped with maple syrup.
The Polenta I picked up was already seasoned with basil and garlic, so that ruled out a breakfast porridge. For my first experience, I opted to slice and fry the polenta on my stove, and top it with a blend of pasta sauce fortified with additional spices and an extra can of sliced mushrooms. I began by slicing the tube of polenta into 1/2-inch round slices.
San Gennaro Polenta
My favorite pasta sauce is Newman’s Own Sockarooni. It has the perfect balance of seasonings and vegetables. I often add browned ground meat to the mix, or serve it over meatballs. For this polenta dinner, mushrooms were the extra touch.
Sauce and Mushrooms
While the sauce simmered, I heated up my large frying pan with about 1/2-inch of olive oil. Of course, Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil is my favorite. It has just the right blend of natural oil and flavor without a heavy, greasy taste or feel.
Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Once the oil was nicely heated, I carefully placed the polenta slices in and covered them to minimize splattering. After five minutes, it was time to fry the other side. This was tricky, because even though I love being in the kitchen I’m not a big fan of cooking with a lot of hot oil. I managed to flip the polenta with very little mess, and after another five minutes of covered frying, I transferred it to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil. In just two more minutes, dinner was ready.
Served with a simple slice of garlic toast and a refreshing Pellegrino water, my Italian dinner was complete.
My Real Italian Kitchen: Polenta with Sauce
The polenta was on sale for less than $4. The sauce was $2.50. Mushrooms $0.69. Garlic toast $6 for 12 slices. The most expensive part was the Pellegrino, at an average of $0.83 per bottle. The polenta dinner, while small in size is big on taste. We were able to get five good meals plus a little extra for a small snack. (Dipping a fried polenta in sauce is heaven, in case you were wondering.)
That’s an approximate $2.75 per plate. Not bad for a delicious Italian meal.
Polenta is so versatile in both flavor and use, no wonder it’s the food of choice for Northern Italy. And, in My Real Italian Kitchen.
San Gennaro Polenta with Basil and Garlic
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
Stocking up the Pantry
Stocking up the Cabinet
Too Hot to Cook (June’s Meal Plan)
WinCo Wins: Lunch for a Dollar!
WinCo Wins
Jan 3, 2014 |
Baked Frittata
I’m changing how I do my meal plans. The last few months, I’ve been throwing together what I can find. Buying for one meal at a time.
With Dot’s schedule (read: college, work, boyfriend), together-at-the-table time just isn’t as frequent. But that doesn’t mean I can’t still cook well even on those evenings she’s not home.
This year, in keeping with my Word of 2014, my Better Plan for meal prep is improving:
Taking what I have and working with it. Why buy what I don’t need?
So last week I made a list of what I had and shopped only for what would compliment my stock. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had more than I realized, and needed less than anticipated.
I’ve also opted to not schedule our meals. That is, there is no calendar as to when we’ll eat what we eat. As long as I have a month’s worth of dinners on the list, I’m not planning any particular sit-down. Dot is often called to work extra hours, or go out with friends. And then there’s those days I just don’t feel like cooking.
So my improved goal for my 2014 Meal Planning includes making healthy dinners and eating the leftovers before cooking something new.
Ratatouille In the Slow Cooker
I already have more than enough to make nearly everything on this month’s dinner list:
- Slow Cooker Pork and Kraut
- Lemon-Grilled Salmon
- Ratatouille
- Turkey dinner
- Grilled chicken
- Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Soup
- Baked Frittata
- Slow Cooker Chili
- Potato Chip Casserole
I’ll need just a few more items like one can of chicken meat, and frittata ingredients. Each meal offers at least one more day of leftovers, and perhaps a tasty lunch as well. Of course my family is small. My meal plan isn’t “one size fits all”. But the idea behind it is.
I’m also giving two days a month over to Dot. She’ll plan, buy, and make at least two dinners that each over another day of leftovers. She gets to develop more Home-Ec skills (do they still call it that?). I get a day off.
It’s a sigh of relief to not be burdened with a cooking schedule. This frees up time and allows for those unexpected interruptions. If Dot’s not home to eat, she knows it will be waiting for her return.
I am looking forward to having a better kitchen relationship this year, as Santa blessed me with a Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler. Hence, the multiple “grilled” dinners suggested above.
It’s also a delight to find myself once more in love with WinCo. When I need to, of course, I shop elsewhere. It’s been months since I’ve had the joy of shopping that most wonderful WinCo, and I’m eager to regain my monthly excursions. Who knew grocery buying would be on par with Nirvana? And yet that’s how I see it. A plethora of inexpensive, brand name choices. Coupons. Discounts. It’s definitely my bliss.
Slow Cooker Pork and ‘Kraut. Twenty dollars. Five ingredients. Eight hours. Ten dinners.
Would you like to start your own Meal Plan pantry? Download my STOCK THAT checklist to begin. (You may also want to check out my emergency supply STOCK THAT 2 checklist, too.)
How do you plan meals around your family’s size, schedule, and wallet? Let me know your ideas on feeding families for less!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
WinCo Wins
WinCo Wins: Lunch for a Dollar!
Too Hot to Cook (June’s Meal Plan)
Poverty: My Story
Stocking up the Pantry
Stocking up the Cabinet
Sep 30, 2013 |
A month ago, I shared with you a few suggestions for stocking up the pantry to easily provide for your family and company without having to go to the store at the last minute. These tips are also great for those times when inclement weather or lack of transportation interferes with your daily schedule.
But what about those non-food needs? A well-stocked cabinet not only covers emergency moments, but can also provide some fun family time. Pretend you’re going camping: turn off the lights, the TV, the computers and see what you can do without electronics.
Batteries for flashlights and portable radios are essential. If you don’t have a gas stove, you may want to invest in a small outdoor grill. But if the weather’s too cold, there are alternatives for indoor cooking. A fireplace can be a great gathering place for roasting S’mores (with adult supervision, of course!).
Water and personal care products are essential. One of my favorite fun moments is stocking up at the local store in the Travel-Size section. One small plastic box holds all the shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and toothpaste a person needs for two weeks. Don’t forget body wash and deodorant! Face and body wipes are also great.
Aside from the necessary items, how do you pass the time when there’s no electricity? Cards and board games are great!
Family Fun Time
Are your kids creative? When I was a child, our favorite Christmas gift that we could count on each year was our Creation Boxes. Mom and Dad would get a cardboard file box for each of us kids, and fill them to the brim with blank paper, construction paper, notebooks, paper, pens, colored pencils, crayons, glue, scissors… pretty much the ultimate scrapbook kit before there were such things. We built our own kingdoms, created our own games, and wrote our own stories.
I’ve created another PDF Checklist to start you on your way to a well-stocked emergency kit. Not to mention, some unplugged family fun!
Did I forget anything? What are your favorite items to add to the list?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote.
You may also enjoy reading:
Stocking up the Pantry
Sep 3, 2013 |
It’s only September, but chatter has it that winter will be wearing out its welcome with voracity this year. I’ve talked with many gardeners over the past few months who tell me their baskets are less than bushels-ful. The Farmer’s Almanac has the country abuzz with their predictions of an earlier, colder, and longer winter.
Creeping Clouds
Now’s the time to start stocking up on those food items that can get you through any storm. They’re handy when there’s unexpected company. They’re reliable when you can’t get to the store. And most of the items are inexpensive, which allows you to save up now for those Big Feasts later.
Meal planning isn’t just about buying foods you need for a meal. It’s also about creatively using the foods you already have. I’m a big fan of mix-n-match foods that don’t cost a lot. Plus ~ Bonus! ~ most of these staples are multi-functional:
- Malt-o-Meal and Instant Oatmeals go well in travel tumblers for a warm, on-the-go Breakfast. Mix with a spoon of syrup for more flavor
- Puddings and gelatins offer a delightfully light texture for a snack or dessert
- Cream soups are warm and hearty on their own yet also blend well with rice or over meats
- Dried beans, once prepared, can be served in soups or with meats.
- A can of drained vegetables tossed with pasta adds color and taste to your main dish
- Diced canned tomatoes can be a side dish, added to a casserole, or served on toast
Breakfast Bruschetta
It’s also important to stock your freezer with foods you can easily prepare. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a must-have at Bedford Manor. They can be quickly grilled, fried, baked, slow-cooked. Added to soups. Cut into strips. Placed on rice and pasta. Mixed into your Mac ‘n Cheese. The very versatile chicken breast is definitely worth the cost.
Chicken Mac ‘n Cheese
A few pieces of meat in the slow-cooker topped with a bottle of BBQ sauce, served alongside a helping of vegetables makes a great meal. Leftovers? No problem. Toss the meat into a serving of pasta. Or mix the vegetables into a soup.
A strategically stocked pantry and freezer can help you out of many food worries: When you need a quick fix for company. When your kids and spouse are having a snow day. When the car breaks down and you don’t want to spend any more money for a week. And when you want to save your bucks for the bigger Holiday menus.
Feel free to download my PDF Checklist before your next shopping trip. Really. I made it with you in mind. This list is by no means exhaustive, and can easily be changed to suit your household’s dietary needs and taste buds. You’ll also want to include items you typically keep in your refrigerator and kitchen cabinets: milk, butter, eggs, sugar, flour.
Are there other items that are staples in your pantry and freezer? How do you mix up your quick-fix meals?
As always,
~Happy Eating!
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
You may also enjoy reading:
Clipping Coupons
How To Eat For Free And Have Fun Doing It (Or, How Printing Coupons Gave Me a Really Great Weekend!)
Winco Wins
Meal Memo in a Jar
