Corn Bread Taco Bake

Budgets have been tight with the pandemic clearing and extra money vanishing. So our food budget has gotten tight. . . We have gotten creative.

Corn bread Taco Bake

I cook this in crock pot or slow cooker, but you can cook this in an oven.

Start making corn bread. . . let go for about an hour,
Then layer salsa (I use mild, but if you can handle the heat, you can get hotter.)

cook pound of beef on the stove (add taco seasoning or make up your own with paprika, black pepper, red chilli flakes, chilli powder, etc season to your liking)

I also make a rice mix (spanish, beef or other flavored)
Layer the rice and beef over the corn bread, then add cheese.

Within several hours, dinner is ready.

You can add corn, black olives, onions, peppers, tomatoes. I also put sour cream on my own bowl.

Food Suggestions

I always have crackers at home,especially when my stomach is upset. You can put anything on crackers from cheese, to orange marmalade to peanut butter.

Instead of a grilled cheese with bread, I have made quesadillas with flour tortillas with dipping in tomato soup.

I also added salsa, sour cream, and black olives in my tomato soup.

You can make your own fancy ramen. . . chicken tenders, veggies, even hard boiled eggs.

Use left over chili and put it on your mac N cheese. I’ve even seen people put chili on spaghetti.

I’ve also made bakes with pasta and rices. It makes food go further.

Easy mousse. . . puddling packs folded into cool whip.

Want to spurge your kids or your inner-kid on a Sunday morning have a French toast or pancake bar, where you have fruits, chocolate chips, hot fudge, caramel, fruit syrups, and whipped cream even have sausage and bacon. . . they can layer their own plate.

Soup Base

I have a decent priced grocery store call Aldi’s.

When I shop, I have a list, and I usually try my best to stay on the list. There are few times I may veer off the list for extra dessert or chips or something. . .

Aldi had these soup bases, in which all you do is add meat and veggies if you wished to. . . plus so many cups of water and then let it boil. . .

The first time I got creamy potato, and I redid my budget just to get the base and try it. It turn out thick and really tasty. I got the chicken soup based next, and it had carrots. It was really good, good flavor and low salt.

The creamy potato and chicken were awesome. I used pre-made biscuit dough for dumpling when I made chicken and dumpling.

Cooking does not have to complicate when you find shortcuts like the soup bases.

I’ve even made a simple beef and veggie soup and put it over mashed potatoes or rice.

Simple yet fun meals

Chicken prices have been crazy. Like 5 plus for wings or leg quarters for $5.90 for ten pounds and they are gone before they get off the truck.

I went to frozen items and got chicken patties and made my own light version of chicken parmesan over pasta.

I made a lighter sauce with spiced stewed tomatoes.

I also used leftover chilli and made corn dog chilli bake.

Corn bread mix, hot dogs cut up, chilli, cheese and more corn bread mix and let cook in crock pot for three hours. You can also do this in an oven.

Both meals were fun and tasty.

Happy food

I’ve have made some really good meals this past week.

Sunday Chicken Marsala (drunken chicken)..it was over baked potatoes and they were good. Cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, and sauted breaded chicken in olive oil. Then cooked down in Marsala wine.

Ricotta cheese stuffed burger with sauted green peppers.

Homemade beef stew

I miss not having an oven as baking really makes me happy, but that is another blog.

Things I’ve learned in 2021 and Goals

We used a lot of stimulus to buy food. (I really should have saved, but energy issues a huge with me. . . there are days just trying to prepare a meal and writing a diary entry will drain me.)
Uberfood wasn’t that great. . . I had more problems with the app than I care to discuss.
Door Dash has a lot of extra feeds. . . I am thinking I am ordering $43 dollars for fried chicken than is really 52, because extra fees. . . I hope they paid the drivers some of those fees. The problem is the chicken is really worth $28 . . . $35 at the most.
Most of our local places have to charge 1.5% much for the same dish because they cannot afford drivers, because door dash is taking them all.
I’ve had more and more lessen food quality with places. All of the prices have gone up from milk to meat to fast food. There are very few dollar items anymore. (Even the dollar store is not really the dollar store anymore.)
I miss having a kitchen, dinning room table, and oven. (I really wish I had a better living situation.)
I really like dark chocolate: with raspberry or orange.
We made sushi several times this year, and I really have to give those who do it so well. . . it truly is an art.
I am liking more pickles lately, and no I’m not pregnant. I really like bread and butter pickles.
I have been satisfied with just a simply grilled cheese.

Food Goals. . .

New creative chicken recipes
New hamburger recipes
More stews and soups.
More different grilled cheese sandwich

Egg Benedict

One of my favorite brunch dish is egg Benedict.

Normally, it’s English muffin, Canadian bacon (ham), a pouched egg with hollenaise sauce.

I love biscuits and bacon. I make my eggs over easy.

However the other day I used pancakes and chopped pieces of ham and over easy egg. It was so good.

I also love a good hollenaise sauce, it makes or breaks a good eggs Benedict.

Creamy corn, chicken bake

First of all, some of my family does not like the word casserole . . . So I made a bake.

Secondly, I’ve been off mentally and physically. However anyone can make this.

Shredded chicken mixed with cream of chicken soup, then cream corn and you make a jiffy corn bread mix and put it on top. Bake until corn bread is done. (It can also be made in a crock pot.)

You can add fresh corn, peppers, tomato, …

I crunched BBQ chips on top or you can use fried onions.

Home cooking

I’m in a complicated cooking situation.

I have no stove or oven.

I cook with electric nonstick skillet, toaster, waffle iron, crockpot (slow cooker) and microwave.

I have got cooking pasta and rice in the microwave pretty close. (Notes: they are very hot, because you have to make water boil.)

I noticed I do better when I cook. (I do not like cleaning up. Sigh.) Compared to going out so much.

I just feel with Uber Eats or Door Dash, the things are overpriced and the serving sizes have gotten smaller.

Probably the last few times orders got mixed up or the there was just something making me want more. It didn’t fix the craving or feel the void. (I need to stop ordering when I’m upset.)

Like I said there is nothing like a home cooked meal.