On Monday we had the baked potato casserole with bacon and chives. And on Tuesday I used the leftovers as a side dish when I served a turkey dinner. These days, since it’s just the two of us, I tend to buy just the turkey breast and cook it in the crock pot. {We have the standard Cook and Carry version and I love it!}
I find it’s so much easier than cooking a giant turkey in the oven, and the turkey breast always seems to turn out nice and moist. Plus, there’s no giant mess to deal.
Turkey pot pie with a homemade crust. Pretty much the best thing ever if you ask me.
Is it just me, or can you see 2 eyes a nose and a mouth when you look at that turkey pot pie too?
I also made an extra turkey pot pie, a pumpkin pie and a batch of chocolate brownie cookies to add to my freezer stash. I was making those things anyway this week, so doubling everything and tucking the #2’s away in the freezer for a day when I don’t feel like looking seemed like the logical thing to do. {How to freeze a pie.}
There was also rustic pit pea soup and 8 can taco soup with oyster crackers. {I pulled the soup from the freezer on you guessed it, an afternoon I didn’t feel like cooking.} 🙂
And that street corn dip from Costco? We finally opened it and we both thought it was really good. The only down side is the size of the container and now we have to eat it all before it goes bad.
I guess that means “chips and dip” will be one the linner menu this week.
Free eggs from the mail lady {how cool is that!?}. Fact: I currently have 27 eggs in the fridge.
Oh, and I am officially out of milk {the HH still has 2 cartons of his almond milk in the fridge}. I am now mixing up Nido whole milk powder every other day {I only drink about a 1/2 cup a day total in my tea} and you know what, if I didn’t already know I was drinking powdered milk, I probably wouldn’t have even known, it’s that good.
So seriously, if you are looking for a powdered milk for your food storage {or if you’re like me and don’t like shopping {anywhere in public} this time of year, Nido powdered milk is my top pick.
It was a good week with lots of homemade meals {and treats too!}. What more could a girl ask for?
So how about YOU? Did you make anything awesome last week? Add anything to your freezer stash? Curious minds want to know.
Have a great Monday,
~Mavis
Total Spent This Past Week on Groceries and Bakery Treats We Brought Home $0
- Total Spent in October on Groceries and Bakery Treats $0
- Total Spent in September on Groceries and Bakery Treats $1663.58
- Total Spent in August on Groceries and Bakery Treats $675.99
- Total Spent in July on Groceries and Bakery Treats $1037.79
- Total Spent in June on Groceries and Bakery Treats $297.1
- Total Spent in May on Groceries and Bakery Treats $323.38
- Total Spent in April on Groceries and Bakery Treats $352.64
- Total Spent in March on Groceries and Bakery Treats $712.01
- Total Spent in February on Groceries and Bakery Treats $230.98
- Total Spent in January on Groceries and Bakery Treats $128.60
- Total Spent on Groceries and Bakery Treats We Brought Home in 2021 $5481.69
Mel says
You might be able to freeze the dip. I’m not sure what the ingredients are or what the texture is like, but I’ve frozen spinach artichoke dip, crab dip, etc. if that helps.
We also started using freezer meals last week, and it’s been so nice not to have the extra mess and prep that comes from cooking each night. I do have one more soup to make tonight (Zuppa Toscana) to use up some potatoes, but that’s it.
I also made enough mini freezer meals for my dad that he won’t have to cook dinner between Thanksgiving and Christmas (I’m going to hand off all the meals to him at Thanksgiving). I didn’t exactly plan it that way, but now that I think about it, stocking someone’s freezer with freezer meals should really become a more popular Christmas gift!
Mavis Butterfield says
Yogurt, corn and mayo are top 3 ingredients. I think I’ll try to freeze a little and check it in a few days.
Cindi says
I agree that the Nido is very good — much better than the nonfat powdered stuff. I have used it to make yogurt and ricotta cheese, too!
Rebecca in MD says
I’d like to hear more about cooking turkey breast in the slow cooker. I have a 6 quart crock pot, but the last time I tried to fit a turkey breast in it, it wouldn’t fit……….Do you add liquid, only use a boneless turkey breast?
Laura says
I have used this recipe for several years and it is fabulous!
https://www.recipetineats.com/juicy-slow-cooker-turkey-breast/
Gravy is great too. I don’t think I will ever go back to a full turkey unless I have a house full of people!
Rebecca in MD says
Thanks so much, Laura!
Mary says
Made the baked potato casserole twice! Yum!
Lisa says
I use Hoosier Hill milk power and just put a tablespoon in my coffee without mixing it with water first – delicious!
Rosemary Calhoun says
I’ve been reading a few articles about various items that may not be on the store shelves soon, so I did a bit of stocking up. I will still need the perishable stuff but our freeze is full and the pantry is looking good as well.
I freeze my milk. I only use it in my tea (or a recipe) so a gallon lasts a long time. Buying milk by the quart is too expensive, so I split up the gallon into 9 pint size mason jars and freeze. I use one pint per week so I am good for 9 weeks!
I also freeze the bread. We only use a couple of slices per week (if the granddaughter wants a sandwich), so I freeze the rest of the loaf. I put 2 slices together. When I want to make a sandwich, I put the 2 slices in between some paper towels and drizzle a little water on top and microwave about 15-20 seconds. Bread comes out nice and soft. Sometimes the crust gets a little hard but the granddaughter doesn’t eat the crust anyway. And a loaf lasts a long time.
Have you seen the price of bacon??? In January a 4 lb pack of bacon at Costco was 14.99. Last week it was 21.99 for the same thing. $7.00 increase (almost 50%)! I guess we will be eating less bacon for a while .
Trying to stay ahead of the game is getting harder but I do like a challenge! Ha ha ha
Mavis Butterfield says
WOW! I didn’t know bacon was that expensive now. I’m glad we have a bunch in the freezer.
Ashley Bananas says
I bought four lbs at Aldi instead at 3.89 a lb a month ago, the same brand 1lb size at aldi is now 4.09 a lb….
Rosemary Calhoun says
That’s a better price than Costco – Costco price works out to be around 5.50 per lb. Good to know!
Jen says
I buy a bunch of good bacon when it’s on sale or BOGO and freeze it. Lasts for actual YEARS. I freeze leftover cooked bacon, too, but after freezing it’s only good for cooked stuff like beans, casseroles, or I’m sure it would be good in your potato dish!
Yes, I realize leftover bacon sounds crazy. Just eat it, right?
Jen says
It only takes 5 or 10 minutes for a slice of bread to thaw. I just freeze the whole (sliced) loaf and pry out two slices for a sandwich and put them on a plate. . By the time I get stuff ready (get PB & J out, set table, find cheese or meat, get lettuce and mayo out, etc.) it’s all ready to be made into a sandwich! No extra baggies, microwave, or paper towels needed. No hard edges! It’s actually easier to spread filling like butter, PB on when it’s still a little frozen. By the time it’s on the table, it’s thawed, soft, and fresh! And excellent for grilled cheese. Just thought I’d mention it.
I freeze my milk like you do, too, and it’s fine.
Amy says
You always have those yummy roasted potatoes in your weekly menu photos. I am sure it is a simple recipe but would love it if you would share it with us. We too are swimming in potatoes and would love new ways to prepare. Thanks!
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Amy, yes I will post the recipe for you. 🙂 {Soon}
Kirsten T. says
I did make something awesome this week… the husband and I went for a hike to practice our foraging skills. We ended up finding about a pound of blue chantrelle mushrooms!!! So I made a pork roast with chantrelle mushroom gravy, following the recipe here for roasting the meat, and loosely following the gravy recipe, since chanterelles require a slightly different treatment: https://cravingtasty.com/pork-loin-roast/.
I served it with homemade buttered spaetzle, and carrots and parsley from our garden. Soooo delicious! I highly recommend the dry herb-rub method in the recipe… I usually mix my herbs with oil to stick, but this less-fattening version was amazing.
Linda Simons says
I love double cooking,, and freezing one for an “I’m not cooking night”. I make individual containers of cooked food we can grab and thaw for lunch. I usually cook dinner. I have meatloaf, roast, roasted veggies, roasted chicken, cornbread, Artisan Bread, and a variety of soups all froze in single serving containers for easy lunches.
Ranee says
I have bought the Nido powdered milk on your recommendation. I likely will use it in creamed soups and baking rather than just for drinking it, but I will try it out of curiosity. Thanks for the positive review.
Jothp says
Yes….there is a face in your Turkey pot pie!! 🙂
Lynn from NC Outer Banks says
Mavis, I also see the face 🙂 I always think of my dear father as he and I both always saw random objects and enjoyed sharing with one another. I was glad when I learned on this site that it actually had a name-pareidolia!
Michelle S. says
All your meals sound delicious and l see a face in your potpie, too! I enjoy seeing what other readers are preparing, too.
I’ve been making and freezing multiple batches of marinara using tomatoes, zucchini and carrots from my garden. I cannot believe how many tomatoes we got out of our small garden this year!
I canned a bunch of applesauce, pear butter, plum jam, pickles, pickled red onions and sweet cucumber relish.
I also pressure-canned a lot of turkey stock using a turkey carcass l had stashed away, and today l canned 40 pints of pinto beans, and made a huge pot of bean soup with a smoked ham hock from our half pig share. Half will go into the freezer for another couple of meals.
Tomorrow l need to harvest a lot of herbs and stick them in the dehydrator to use later and also make pesto to freeze. We’re in California so we have been pretty warm but the weather has changed a bit in the last few days and it’s getting down into the upper 30s at night. I fear losing my herbs and the last of my tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants to frost if l’m not careful so l’d better get to it!
As far as the grocery prices go, it is CRAZY here. I was paying .69 per pound for oats and when l had to restock this week, the lowest price l could find was $1.10 per pound! It took me 4 stores to find dried pinto beans to can and l paid almost double the price per pound that l usually do. Gas here is $4.75 a gallon at the cheapest station. It’s wild. We have that same price increase for bacon at Costco, too.
Mavis Butterfield says
That is a crazy price for gas! And I agree, the price for basic things like oats and beans is way, way up!!
Hawaii Planner says
Made the brownie cookies yesterday & they were fabulous! Froze most of them, so I wouldn’t eat the entire batch right away. 😉
Mavis Butterfield says
Smart thinking! 🙂
Diana says
I have a huge fear of having a freezer stash. What if the power goes out – for whatever reason? What if the freezer doesn’t close right and you don’t find out until too late? (Almost had that happen a month or so ago). What if the freezer quits? All that food – wasted…
I bought a freeze dryer about a month ago and it’s supposed to be delivered in a week or two. From everything I’m reading and the videos I’m watching on YT, this is the way to go. I am single, no kids, so everything I buy or cook has to be eaten right away or it gets wasted. I can now buy a gallon of milk – and freeze dry it into powder and make it up whenever I need it. I can now make a huge pot of spaghetti and freeze dry it into portions and eat it when I want it – not for 8 days in a row. And freezer space will be freed up for items that can’t be freeze dried (haven’t found much of that yet…).
Harvest Rite is the name of the company. I’ve been thinking about doing this for a year and finally went ahead and ordered one and I can’t wait til it gets here!
Tracy says
How is the pumpkin pie after it’s been thawed? I always thought you couldn’t freeze a custard type pie….please tell I’m wrong and it’s wonderful!!!
Mavis Butterfield says
You’re wrong. It’s wonderful. Think of all those frozen pumpkin pies in the freezer section. 🙂
Tracy says
YESSSS…..best answer ever! Honestly I’ve never noticed frozen pumpkin pies in the freezer section. Thank you Mavis!!