Aldi Peach Crisp

I think I've mentioned that when I'm stressed, I bake. Well, lately I've been under a considerable amount of stress. On Sunday night, I had to bake something.

This recipe harkens back to a peach crisp I made in OCNJ in 2006. My step-father had rented a house down in OC for us to have our vacation. During one of his visits to the shore house, he brought fresh Jersey peaches that were just perfectly ripe. And they were delectable! Of course, my stepfather being the generous man that he is bought about a bushel of them! There was no way to eat them before they'd go bad! So...necessity being the mother of invention, this recipe was born.

To Aldify (I'm working on adding this to the dictionary!) it, I had to alter the peaches, but it turned out really well.

Hope you try, hope you like it, and don't forget to add the whipped cream or the ice cream!


Peach Crisp

1 Can Fit & Active Peach slices in light syrup
1 Cup Millville Quick Cooking Oats
1/2 Cup Baker's Corner Light Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Grandma's Best Flour
pinch of Sebree Salt
6 Tbs. Country Creamery Unsalted Butter

Open and drain peaches well. Pour in to a shallow 8" or 9" pie plate.

In a bowl mix together flour, brown sugar, oats and salt. Melt butter in microwave or slowly on the stove. Mix into flour/sugar mixture.

Sprinkle/spread this over the top of the peaches.

Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes (until oat mixture is browned and crispy looking).

Allow to set for about 5 minutes before digging in!

NOTE: I'll come back later to add the cost, I need to dig out some receipts since some of the ingredients have been in my pantry a while!

Peanut Butter Cup Cake

You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!


You got your chocolate in my peanut butter?



I mean, really, is there a more perfect combination that chocolate and peanut butter? I LOVE BOTH. And if you knew me in person, this would be quite obvious when you see the size of my bottom. Oh well.

This weekend, we had dinner with good friends. No, great friends. No, family. LOL :) In this certain circle, I've been labeled the dessert goddess, and usually people secretly wish I'm bringing dessert, even if I don't say I will. In all fairness, these people were friends before I knew I could bake well...so they got to eat a lot of my experiments.

Baking for me is very cathartic. It's the only thing I want to do when I'm stressed out. I used to work at a REALLY high stress job (pre kids, and even part of it pre husband). I'd work 20 hour days, come home and bake for 3 hours before I could go to bed. My co-workers loved it because I would bring my baking creations in the following day. My one boss used to joke about finding ways to stress me out so that I would bake something to bring in. :)

This recipe is a conglomeration of a few recipes I'd tried in years past.

Peanut Butter Cup Cake

Cake:
1 Box Bakers Corner Yellow Cake Mix
1 1/4 Cups Water
3 Golden Hen Eggs
1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 Carlini Vegetable Oil (or Canola Oil)

Filling:

1/2 Cup Country Creamery Butter, softened
1/2 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/4 Cup Friendly Farms Half and Half
2 to 3 Cups Powdered Sugar

2 Tubs of Baker's Corner Milk Chocolate Frosting

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Using and electric mixer beat all cake ingredients together. Start slow for 30 seconds until combined. Then beat for 2 minutes on medium speed, scrape sides as necessary.

Pour into two round cake pans with parchment paper cut to fit the inside. Bake 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center come out cleanly. Cool for 10 minutes. Using a knife, loosen cake from sides of pan, cool for 1 hour before proceeding.

Prepare Peanut Butter Cream Filling. Cream together peanut butter and butter. Add half and half. Add powdered sugar in 1/2 cup at a time until the frosting is creamy and thick and desired sweetness.

After cakes are completely cooled, gently cut each cake in half horizontally (you'll end up with 4 thin circles of cake). Spread half of the peanut butter filling between two of each circle of cake.

Top one cake with a generous helping of chocolate frosting. Place 2nd cake on top. Frost top and sides with the rest of the chocolate frosting.

Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or until ready to serve.

Aldi Springs Chicken

I LOVE Outback Steakhouse. I love a good steak, and good potatoes, and a good bloomin' onion! BUT, I LOVE their Alice Springs Chicken. A few years ago, for Mother's Day, my husband made a replica of it for me. It was just as good, if not better. And lets face it, who wants to lug all the kids to a restaurant, shell out $13.99 for a plate of chicken that you know you can make at home for a fraction of the price?

Tonight, for dinner, I tried my hand at Alice Springs Chicken, and so as not to steal the name, I've renamed it "Aldi Springs Chicken". I don't believe there truly is an Aldi Spring, but we can pretend for a delicious recipe, right?


Aldi Springs Chicken

1 1/2 lbs boneless/skinless chicken breasts (about 3 large or 4 small) ($6.49/2.5 lbs)
1 16 oz bottle Fit & Active Light Honey Mustard Dressing (1.69)
1 16 oz package Fit & Active Lower Sodium Bacon (2.49)
1 8 oz package Happy Farms Monterey Jack Cheese, sliced thin (1.79)

Place 1 cup of salad dressing and the chicken in a large resealable bag. Marinate for 4 hours or overnight.

Prepare bacon. I prefer to bake mine on a cookie sheet. This makes for easier clean up and it doesn't destroy the stove, either.

Grill chicken. I have a table top grill (like a George Foreman), but you could certainly grill outside or pan fry. Grill until ALMOST done - you don't want to overcook the chicken, and you will be baking it for a few minutes.

Move chicken to a baking dish or cookie sheet. Cover each breast with bacon (I find about 3 strips per breast works well, this will leave you a few left for snacking or BLT's tomorrow). Cover bacon with cheese. Bake at 350 until the cheese melts and chicken finishes cooking (about 5 minutes). Serve immediately with the remainder of the honey mustard dressing for dipping.

Serves 6 (cut the breasts in half if using 3 large) for $1.62 per serving. To keep with the steakhouse theme, serve with a baked potato and a wedge of iceburg lettuce, this adds only about .15 per serving! MUCH CHEAPER than going to Outback.

(I made my own honey mustard for dipping because I wanted to try my hand at it. I used a recipe from www.allrecipes.com, but did not use Aldi ingredients which is why I'm not sharing).

Philly Cheesesteak Pasta

Miss me? Sorry, life around here has been so unbelievably busy! Homeschooling 3 kids, trying to maintain (and failing miserably) a 4 bedroom house, working to get my grandmother into assisted living facility, playing taxi to my kids many activities, and climbing Mount Washmore on what seems to be a daily basis, well...I just have been slacking off in the cooking department.

The other day, I spent the day in the kitchen, cooking and creating a recipe that had been in my mind for weeks. I LOVE Philly Cheesesteaks. And if you live in Philly, the fight is Pat's vs. Geno's - usually. Of course, out here in the suburbs, we have plenty of GREAT places to choose from. Personally, I prefer one on an Amoroso's steak roll, using FRESH meat and REAL Provalone or American cheese - no Cheese Whiz for me (sorry Pat's). Lots of green peppers, mushrooms and onions.

I've been having a tooth issue which makes it very hard to chew. And as delicious as a cheesesteak sounds, the pain of chewing it is a huge deterrent (I know, I'm going to the dentist...I promise). So...pasta's soft! So here goes!!!

I do warn you, this is not any healthier than eating a true Philly Cheesesteak. I never claimed that ALL the food I made would be healthy. :) I hope you try it, and enjoy it.

Philly Cheesesteak Pasta

12 oz Reggiano Penne Pasta (.99)
1 Tbs. Country Creamery Butter (.05)
1 Tbs. Olive Oil (.11)
1 Box Philly Gourmet Sandwich Steaks (1.99)
10 oz box of White Mushrooms, sliced thinly (.89)
1 green pepper, diced (.80)
1/2 large onion, diced (.30)
2 cloves garlic, minced (.10)

Sauce:
2 Tbs Country Creamery Butter (.10)
2 Tbs. Grandma's Best Flour (.10)
1 8oz package of Happy Farms Provalone Slices, julienned (1.99)
8 oz. Great American Slices, julienned (3.49/lb - so 1.75 for half)
2 Cups Milk (.45)

Prepare Pasta as directed on package. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


In a large saute pan, melt butter and oil together over medium heat. Saute diced onions, diced peppers and sliced mushrooms together until tender/crisp. Add minced garlic and continue to cook until mushrooms are soft. Cut sandwich steaks in strips (I cut them in half, THEN in strips). Add to veggie mixture and cook until beef is cooked through. Drain as much fat as possible. Set aside.

In a large sauce pan, melt butter. Stir in flour and whisk for 2 minutes to cook out the "raw" taste of the flour. Add milk slowly. Bring milk just to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Continually stir over low heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in cheeses until melted.

In a large bowl mix together vegetables/beef, pasta and cheese sauce. Pour into a 13 X 9 Inch baking pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes @ 350 degrees until cheese sauce is bubbly.

Makes 12 servings @ $.80 each! Please enjoy responsibly (like add a salad or something to make it redeeming!)

Sausage Meatball & Gnocci Soup

The start of this soup was a knock off of an Olive Garden soup. Of course, it didn't have sausage in it. What actually happened is that I wanted to make the Olive Garden Soup knock off, but didn't read the recipe before I went to Aldi, so I didn't get all the ingredients right! Oh well. Sometimes accidents happen for a reason. And this, I think, was much better than any Olive Garden soup I could have had (sorry, OG...it's true).



Priano Potato Gnocci
1/2 of 1 lb package Roseland bulk sausage
1/2 of package of Ground Turkey
2 Golden Hen eggs
2 slices of L'Oven Fresh wheat bread
1/2 cup milk
1 Tbs Spice Club onion powder
1 Tbs Spice Club garlic powder
1 Tbs Spice Club Italian Seasoning
2 Tbs Carlini Olive Oil
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 large stalks of celery, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 Tsp Oregano
1 quart Friendly Farms Half & Half
1 quarter Fit & Active Chicken Broth

In a large stockpot, add olive oil. Place heat to medium. Once the oil is warmed up, add carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Saute until onions are starting to get translucent. Add bay leaves, and oregano. Mix well.

Add Chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Prepare the meatballs as follows: In a small bowl add bread, cover with milk and let sit and soak up the milk. In another large bowl, add ground turkey and sausage, two eggs, onion powder, garlic powder and italian seasoning. Once the bread is soaked with the milk, add bread and any leftover milk in the bowl with ground meats and spices. Mix well. Form into 1/2" - 3/4" meatballs.

Drop the meatballs into the simmering broth. Cover and cook another 15 minutes. Add the half & half and mix in well. Uncover. Add in Gnocci and cook until they are soft and cooked through - about 5 minutes.

Serve. And enjoy.

I'll add calculations later! gotta go find my receipts!

Okay, I can see you're all holding out for....

....chocolate.

:)

I'll try to bake you something special over the weekend. Okay????

Biscuit-topped Chicken Pot Pie

I know that I recently did a Chicken Pot Pie Stoup. Well, this one is ACTUAL Chicken Pot Pie. Made a little differently, so, I don't feel TOO repetitive! :)

I had some leftover grilled boneless/skinless chicken breast in the fridge from a grilled chicken pizza dinner I made the other night. The chicken was not from Aldi, but you could easily use their IQF Chicken. I'm basing my price per serving on using their chicken.


Biscuit-topped Chicken Pot-pie

2 Cups Cooked Chicken Breast meat, cubed ($6.49/2.5 lbs, this was 1 large breast) ($1.00)
1 Cup Season's Choice Frozen Peas, thawed (.49)
1 Cup Season's Choice Frozen Corn, thawed (.49)
1 Carrot, medium dice (.10)
1 Celery Stick, medium dice (.10)
1/4 medium onion, medium dice (.15)
1 garlic clove, crushed (.05)
1 Tbs olive oil (.15)
1 Tbs Country Creamery Butter (.05)
2 Tbs Flour (.10)
2 Cups 2% Milk (.45)
1 Chicken Boullion Cube, crushed and mixed into the milk (.05)
2 1/4 cups Baker's Corner Baking Mix (.43)
2/3 Cup Milk (.14)

Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add Olive oil and butter. Add diced onion, celery and carrots and "sweat" until just about soft. Add peas, corn and chicken meat and stir until warm. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and chicken and mix in well. Pour in milk laced with boullion. Reduce heat to low, bring to a boil and let simmer until sauce thickens.

While chicken & veggies are simmering mix and form biscuits according to package directions (you may use as "drop" biscuits and not form them, just drop on top)

Pour chicken and vegetable mixture into a deep dish pie pan - or another 2 quart baking dish. Place biscuits on top (or if dropping, drop in even amounts around the top of the pan.

Bake in oven for 8-10 minutes (until biscuits are golden brown and cooked through).

Serve immediately, and don't expect many leftovers! :) Made 6 servings @ .63 each!