Kate’s Cuisine

I was lucky enough to be given a bunch of acorn squash and wanted something more to do with it than just roast it. So I came up with this stuffed squash recipe and it is delicious! To be honest, I didn’t even know if I was going to like it. But, pork and cheese, what more could you ask for? And, even though it looks like you slaved over it, the most you really have to do is brown the sausage. The rest of it pretty much takes care of itself.

This squash can be used as a side, an entree, or an appetizer at a dinner party. I also froze a few of mine and they freeze beautifully. Just remember to either thaw them fully or to cover them and keep them in the oven for at least an hour, if you’re baking them from frozen. They take a long, long time to cook after you’ve frozen them – but they taste just as great!

And the best, and most surprising part of this recipe? My 2-year-old loooooooves it!

3/4 cup dry bread crumbs, soaked in 2 tablespoons melted butter   $0.45
2 tablespoons melted butter $0.12
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour $0.02
Salt and pepper to taste $0.02
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard $0.01
1 1/2 cups milk $0.41
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese $2.50
1 onion $0.47
1 green bell pepper, julienned $0.45
4 mild Italian sausages, cut into 1″ rounds   $2.68
2 cups cooked rice $0.28
2 tablespoons canola oil $0.14

Total Cost $7.55

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.) Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add Italian sausage and brown.

3.) Meanwhile, place butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Wait until butter just starts to bubble and add flour, pepper, salt, and mustard. Stir until all ingredients are well combined. Slowly add the milk while stirring and bring to a simmer. Continue simmer for 10 minutes. Make sure that  you stir constantly while the milk is simmering or it will burn. Continue stirring until the milk has started to thicken, about 10 minutes. Once milk has thickened, remove pan from heat and add cheese. Stir the cheese until it has melted.

4.) Drain the sausage and place in a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

5.) Add the rice and green peppers to the sausage in the casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over the entire thing and stir until it is well combined. Sprinkle the butter-soaked bread crumbs over the entire casserole.

6.) Place in the oven for 20 – 25 minutes, until the cheese sauce has started to bubble and the top is golden brown and crispy.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

I came up with this recipe one day when I really wanted macaroni and cheese, but I wanted something different. And this one’s pretty good! The rice sort of takes on a creamy texture due to the sauce, and the spice of the Italian sausage adds a really good punch of flavour to it. And green peppers go so well with sausage, don’t they? Although there are quite a few steps to this recipe, it’s actually pretty simple, especially if you have some frozen rice that you can just thaw out for it. Good ol’ fashioned comfort food, in a slightly different way!

2/3 cup flour $0.07
1 tablespoon paprika $0.48
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts $13.20
Salt $0.01
Pepper $0.01
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil $0.36
2 tablespoons butter $0.12
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped $0.45
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped $0.45
1 medium onion, chopped $0.47
3 large cloves of garlic, chopped $0.03
1 tablespoon curry powder $3.21
1 cup chicken broth $0.50
1 can diced tomatoes $0.99
1/4 cup golden raisins $0.01
1 small pouch sliced almonds $1.99

Total Cost $21.90

1.) Combine flour and paprika in a shallow dish. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cut each chicken breast in half on an angle. Coat chicken with paprika-seasoned flour.

2.) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Brown chicken on each side and remove from skillet. Add butter to the pan, then stir in peppers, onions, and garlic. Season veggies with salt and pepper and saute 5-7 minutes to soften. Add curry, broth, tomatoes, and raisins. Slide chicken back into the skillet and simmer over moderate heat, 5 minutes to combine flavors and finish cooking the chicken through. When chicken is finished, garnish with almonds.

3.) Serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

I got this recipe from Rachel Ray’s book 30-Minute Meals 2. It’s a lot like my Tomato Chicken recipe but I wanted to try it because it had the kick of curry powder that I sometimes get a hankering for. The chicken was really good and it was really easy to make. I did cook it for a little longer in the sauce than what was called for in the recipe. I just don’t think chicken can cook through in 10 minutes, I don’t care how small you cut it up. And with chicken, you definitely want to be sure.

I also didn’t add the raisins or the almonds. Let’s remember the people that come to my table every night to eat. There’s no way anyone would’ve touched the Captain’s chicken if there was fruit and nuts in it. And to be honest, I’m not crazy about the thought of chicken with raisins in it either.

3 – 4 pounds of chicken bones
6 stalks of celery, roughly chopped into 2 – 3 pieces each $0.44
6 large carrots, roughly chopped into 2 – 3 pieces each $1.02
1 large onion, quartered $0.47
6 – 8 cloves of garlic, smashed $0.08
Teaspoon of salt $0.01
1/2 teaspoon pepper $0.01

Total Cost  $2.03

1.) Place chicken bones in a very large pot and fill with enough water to just cover the bones. Add the onions, carrots, celery, salt, and pepper.

2.) Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 2 – 3 hours, depending. Throughout cooking, continually check and taste the stock to make sure that you like the taste. Add more salt, pepper if needed.

3.) When finished, drain the large pot into another pot that’s large enough to hold the remaining stock. Discard bones and all vegetables.

4.) Wait for stock to cool and then divide into smaller, separate containers. Use immediately, refrigerate, or freeze.

5.) When ready to use, serve and enjoy!

Read the review here

I don’t know when the last time was that I bought chicken stock because I always have some in my freezer. The hardest thing about this recipe is getting into the habit of putting all your chicken bones into a freezer bag whenever you’re finished eating a roast chicken, or any kind of chicken really. I even keep bones after we’ve eaten from Kentucky Fried Chicken or Swiss Chalet. I actually find that these make some of the best chicken stock! So delicious, and you’ll get ten times as much for what you’d pay for one carton of chicken stock at the store – and for just about the same price too! (I didn’t add the price of the chicken bones in with the recipe because if you buy the chicken, you’ve bought the bones too.)