Homemade Beef Stock

As a follow up from yesterday's post regarding the Beef Chuck Roast Recipe, it's totally considered "Walking In Victory," and just plain SMART when we "recycle" to give things a double duty effect! It helps us to "Walk In Victory" in our budgets, more specifically, our grocery bills & ultimately helps us "Walk In Victory" in the area of time management. Not to mention the added benefits of "Walking In Victory" over our health! 

So, yesterday I shared a time saving, budget savy, and simple recipe with a short list of ingredients, all factors thus making it worthy to be labeled a "Walking 

In Victory" recipe, with the added bonus of Summer cooking made easy without heating up your kitchen on hot summer days. Did I mention that it was also scrumptious?! Gaining yet another key ingredient to "Walking In Victory" cooking makes this even more so a blog worthy hit! 

Yesterday's recipe called for 1 cup of Beef Stock. Here's how you can get it without an added trip to the grocery store or added item on the grocery list, at  NO COST, and without added PRESERVATIVES! 

After removing the completed Roast Beef from the Crock Pot and after using a few ladles full for homemade gravy (I'll share that recipe in the future), rather than dumping the remaining drippings down the food disposal, why not dump it into your future roast, soup, or other yummy meals?! 

Here's how:

Simply place a strainer over a bowl or pitcher (something big enough to catch it), and pour the drippings directly from the Crock Pot into the bowl to strain any large onion or beef pieces out. The small ones are fine as they add extra flavor! Then simply pour the bowl of drippings into some sort of storage container (a sauce jar from a prior meal, washed & saved for occasions such as these is perfect! :) Seal it up with a lid & store in the fridge for a future "Walking In Victory" recipe! :)

Wa la...you're well on your way to saving time, money, preservatives and homemade, yummy, "Walking In Victory" cooking for your family! 

Pulled Chicken BBQ, Cole Slaw, & Baked Beans

Doesn't that sound southern and yummy?!! :) Besides being southern (even for this northern girl) and yummy, it's an all around great meal for any wife or mother cooking for her family whether she is juggling doing so with a career, homeschooling (for all my homeschooling readers), or even stay at home moms that need to just get dinner out of the way in advance so you can tackle everything else on your list on any given day, including keeping up with those little ones all day long. I promise, you can throw this in in the morning and still have energy left for everything else you need to do today! Don't worry, single gals or even the guys, this one's easy as pie for you too, whether it be impressing someone special, sharing a meal with a friend, entertaining, or guys - impressing your wife by cooking for HER on occasion! :) And for my girlfriends who burn water attempting to boil it, (you know who you are, I won't mention any names) :) and teens learning your cooking skills, or the engaged or young bride needing to start with simple and work up to bigger skills, this one's for you!!

As always, don't worry, in order to be a Walking In Victory Recipe, you know it has to be easy on your wallet too, so it is! All you'll need is a package of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, a bottle of BBQ Sauce, a package of Sandwich Buns, a bag of Cole Slaw Mix, (you likely have the ingredients in your pantry to make the slaw once you have the mix), and a can of Baked Beans. I can get all of the above ingredients (now this is doing my grocery shopping at Walmart, shopping sales, using coupons when I have them, and buying store brands for the things that really don't make a difference in the end result), for about under $12 to feed my entire family!

Here's what you need and what you do:

Pulled Chicken BBQ Sandwiches:

*1 Pkg. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (you can get the 3 pk Purdue at Walmart for $5 & some change)
*1 Bottle of BBQ Sauce (I use whatever is on sale - you can spice it up to suit your taste by adding some brown sugar, honey, spices, etc.)
*1 Pkg. Sandwich Buns (Btw...did you know you can often get name brand bread products at the Dollar Tree??!! And I've talked to the store manager and it's just bread that the bread distributor brings at the end of the day that they had leftover from delivering to the local grocery stores)! Food for thought....shouldn't we all be good stewards of our resources and save where possible? :)

Literally, throw the Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast in the crock pot/slow cooker RAW (you don't even need to cook it in advance), pour the entire bottle of BBQ Sauce over it, cover and let it cook all day on low or 4 or so hours on high!! Go back every now and then and give it a stir, and when it looks tender and done, pull it apart with 2 forks and just continue letting it get tender and yummy in that sweet and savory BBQ Sauce.

Cole Slaw:

*1 Pkg. Tri-Color Cole Slaw mix (I buy the pre-packaged at Walmart - the Market Fresh Brand, it's above the Market Fresh Salad Mixes in the produce section and it's about $1.50 a bag)!
The remaining ingredients you'll probably have in your pantry and are:
*1 Cup Mayo
*2 Tbsp. Milk
*1 Tbsp. Vinegar
*1 Tbsp. Sugar (I usually add 2 b/c my family likes it sweet)
*Salt & Pepper to taste (to get that sweet and salty combo) Yum!

Mix it all together in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate. This is one that the longer it sits in the fridge, the better it will taste!

That's it! Serve when you're ready for dinner (which will be when you get home from work if you through it together that morning or when your hubbie walks in the door from work if you through it in even say at lunchtime). Serve the Pulled Chicken BBQ on Sandwich Rolls, top with Cole Slaw, or put on the side, spoon out a side of Baked Beans (I just buy the canned and doctor them up with brown sugar & whatever else I feel like), and...."That's What's For Dinner Tonight!!" :)

Walking In Victory Lunch Box idea:

Serves double duty as a Walking In Victory Lunch Box Idea too! We always have leftovers on this one which is great to warm up the next day for lunch. Impress your hubbie when he opens his lunch box and has a yummy southern reminder of what he comes home to at the end of each day. Just throw a bun in a baggie, put some of the Chicken BBQ in a storage container with a lid, spoon some Cole Slaw in another container with a lid, you know the drill...same thing for the beans... :) He can warm up the Chicken BBQ in the microwave, spoon it on his bun, top it w/his Slaw, and he will KNOW you are the bomb!! :) Just sayin.....

Walking In Victory In Marriage:

Extra nugget for thought: re-read the Little Sweet Things post and even throw in a sweet note reminding him your the bomb with it, and I'm just sayin.... Better yet, you could always ask him if you should turn the "Crock Pot" on for tonight while your at it!! If you don't get that I'm not talking about small kitchen appliances here, go back and read the Little Sweet Things Post!! :)

Walking In Victory With Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes!

Rachael Ray's Leftover Stuffing Waffles

I caught just enough of a snip-it of The Rachael Ray Show on Wednesday to share with you this amazing idea and recipe that I thought was a genius and delicious way to help you Walk In Victory with those Thanksgiving leftovers - rolling over your Thanksgiving dinner into brunch over the weekend with this dish! Don't worry if you don't have a waffle maker! Neither do I (although I sure would LOVE to have one if anyone is thinking of Christmas gift ideas...jk - sort of)!!! :) I'm pretty sure you can still Walk In Victory w/this recipe with a good ole' frying pan! Use the same concept, just modify and make the stuffing into patties and fry in a frying pan w/melted butter rather than in the waffle maker! :) 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 3 to 4 cups leftover stuffing
• 1/2 cup leftover cranberry sauce
• 1 cup maple syrup
• A few slices of leftover turkey

Preparation

Preheat a waffle maker to medium-high heat. Once hot, brush with melted butter. Press a few cups of stuffing into the waffle iron, filling from corner to corner. Put as much stuffing into it as possible. Close the waffle iron to press it into the mold. Cook for 7-8 minutes, until the waffle is golden and crispy on top. Open waffle maker and let cool in waffle iron for 2 minutes and then remove.

While your waffle is cooking, combine cranberry sauce and maple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine. Once hot, remove from heat.

To serve, place a few slices of leftover turkey on top of the stuffing waffle and drizzle with cranberry maple syrup.

ENJOY!!!

Heck, why not?! Let's make this Walking In Victory Leftover Recipe serve triple duty!! (1) A great new recipe; (2) What to do w/all those Thanksgiving Dinner Leftovers; (3) A Walking In Victory In Marriage Idea!!! :)

K - So to use this Triple Play to Walk In Victory In Marriage:

Husbands or Wives (guys - this recipe is simple enough for even YOU to impress the apple of your eye)! Get up early and whip this up and serve to your lovey in bed!! OR...make it together (a couple that cooks together, stays together), and take it back to the bed and have breakfast/brunch in bed together!! OR...get up and set the patio table (or kitchen/dining table) and have a little breakfast/brunch date for two!! Get out your wedding wine glasses and serve this dish with a breakfast Mimosa (O.J. & Champagne - or a non-alcoholic version w/sparkling cider)! Be creative! Just make one another feel important, cherished, and special and keep daily marriage life fresh and exciting!! :) If you're married w/children, just get up extra early and spend time together on this breakfast date (with no child care expense btw...) before the kid-lets get up!! :)

Layered Chicken Parm. w/Spaghetti

This is a "Walking In Victory" recipe because it requires only 6 or so ingredients, can be made for an entire family for $10-$12, can be prepared in 10 minutes & then it bakes itself in the oven for an hr. It requires only one 9x13 baking dish and a kettle for the spaghetti and within those 2 dishes, contain most of the food groups you need for a meal (it covers your meat, dairy, vegetables, & bread groups). I'm all about meals that can be prepared for $10, in under 10 minutes, with less than 10 ingredients and in one baking dish! It's a simplified version of the classic Chicken Parm and is a great alternative for the teen, single, or new wife & mother learning cooking skills, or for the busy working, homeschooling, or stay at home mom, or for the elderly who still enjoy cooking but need to keep it simple! For that matter, wives - your hubbies could even manage this one if they wanted to treat you to a special dinner for two, date night at home! Here's what you need:

4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 C. Bread Crumbs
1 1/2 C. Spaghetti Sauce
2/3 C. Grated Parm Cheese
1 lb. Spaghetti (I use whole wheat)
Salt, Pepper, & Garlic Powder to taste

Here's what you do:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 baking dish w/cooking spray. Place each chicken breast on bottom of baking dish. Top each chicken breast w/Tbsp. butter. Cover & layer with 1/2 of the sauce, then bread crumbs, then remaining sauce, then parm cheese, salt, pepper, & garlic powder. Bake at 350 for 1 hr to 1 hr & 15 min. until chicken is done and top is golden. About 10 minutes before chicken is ready to come out of the oven, boil salted water for the spaghetti and cook according to pkg instructions. Drain, heat additional sauce, and serve the chicken parm over spaghetti, cover with additional sauce as desired, & sprinkle w/a little additional parm cheese.

That's it! You did it!! Get your husband, family, friends, whoever around the dinner table, light a candle, and enjoy a great meal that looks like you spent all day in the kitchen that was easy as pie and "walk in victory!"