My new favorite dish: Pasta with zucchini and peppers

I'm becoming a little more experimental in the kitchen these days, as I'm trying to save money so I'll make new dishes out of the stuff that's cluttering my cabinets, rather than run to the store every three days for the same ol', same ol'.

So I adapted this recipe that I found in an old Real Simple magazine, simply adding some shrimp I had in the freezer and some yellow peppers I had in the fridge. I thought this would be kind of bland because there's not a lot of spices, but the beauty is in its simplicity.

Linguine With Zucchini and Chickpeas
from Real Simple magazine

Serves 4
Hands-on Time: 15m
Total Time: 20m

Ingredients
12 ounces linguine (3/4 of a box)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 small zucchini, cut into thin half-moons
kosher salt
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces)
6 to 8 large shrimp (my addition)
1/2 cup sliced yellow peppers (my addition)

Directions
1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drain, and return the pasta to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, tossing often, until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chickpeas, garlic, yellow peppers, shrimp and red pepper and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Toss the pasta with the reserved pasta water and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan. Divide the pasta among bowls and top with the zucchini mixture and the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan.

Lazy mama's beef roast

I just threw some stuff together this past week and stumbled into the most delicious pot roast I've ever made.

It's a very loose recipe and the best part is that you make it in a slow cooker, so there's no babysitting. Sorry there's no pictures - we ate it too fast!

Ingredients:
2 pound beef roast
1 can reduced sodium beef broth (plus enough water to just barely cover the top of the roast)
1 medium onion sliced
1-2 tablespoons steak seasoning (I love McCormicks!)
1/2 cup steak sauce

Steps:
Place onion in the bottom of the slow cooker and put the meat on top. Mix the broth, the steak sauce and the steak seasoning and pour it over the roast. Add a bit more water if necessary.

Cook on low for 6-7 hours. Meat will be fork-tender and sooo delicious! As always, if you try it, tell me how it tasted!

5 Tips for Buying Meat on a Budget

From the High and Noble Calling blog:

Here are a few tips for saving on meat:
1) Only buy when it is marked down
I have a pretty keen eye for those little yellow stickers! I know which
days of the week our local grocery stores mark down their meats and shop then.
And even then, I only buy the on sale marked down meats and a coupon sweetens
the deal. I will also rollover some catalina deals if the store is doing them
and use them for meat/produce, the most expensive parts of my budget!

For the other four tips, head on over and show some love!

Money savers: Tips from Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

From the August 2009 issue:

Check yourself out: You'll be more conscious of what you're buying when
you're doing the scanning.

Compare, compare, compare: Stores stock similar products in several areas
at different prices.

Don't clip every coupon you see: Coupons can persuade you to buy things you
didn't even want.

Tasty tip: Dollar store finds

When's the last time you bought food at the dollar store? If it's been a minute, you might want to stop by your local store and look around.

You can easily save money by picking up olive oil, pasta, and other nonperishables, many of which are name brands. When label errors (the wrong color, perhaps) occur, they ship the products to the dollar store, where you'll pay less for the same product.

So don't delay - head over to the dollar store and a ton of groceries for half the price.

Quick Summer Recipe: Watergate Salad

Watergate Salad

Recipe by Dr. Yakini Etheridge

Dr. Yakini Etheridge is a clinical psychologist and mom blogger living in NYC. She loves being a wife and mother to a boisterous baby boy, and blogs about her experiences as a new mom at The Prissy Mommy Chronicles (http://www.prissymommy.com/).

She says:
This really is a delightful dish to serve in the summer, at a barbecue or tea party. The various textures and refreshingly cold taste of this sweet, fruit "salad" make it a popular classic at most gatherings! It's also very pretty to look at! I remember first tasting this in the fifth grade, and I fell in love with it then! I'm not sure of the origins of the name. The story that I once heard is that this salad was named after the Watergate scandal: All of the politicians who got involved were "nuts"! :-)

Ingredients:
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix 1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows 1 (12 ounce) container Cool Whip Topping, thawed 1 cup flaked coconut 1 cup maraschino cherries, drained and halved 2 cups walnuts (or pecans)

Procedure:
In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and pineapple; mix well. Add marshmallows and 3/4 of the container of dessert topping (add more to get a creamier consistency). Toss in the coconut; mix well. Slowly add pineapple juice to taste. Transfer to a serving dish and chill for at least an hour before serving.
By day three, you may choose to add additional pineapple juice to the salad to freshen it as it dries.

Date night recipe: Jerk chicken pasta

First time you make this dish, do it on the weekend. It's simple, but you need to get the steps down first so you can make it fast. Just try it and you'll thank me later!


Jerk Chicken Pasta

Serves 4-6


Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups KC Masterpiece Carribean Jerk marinade
1 lb pasta (any kind you have is cool: spaghetti works well)
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped peppers (any kind you choose: mild, sweet, or spicy!)
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons oil
Salt
Pepper


Directions
1. Rinse chicken and pat dry; season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and brown chicken, about 5 minutes per side depending on thickness.


2. Begin to heat the water for the pasta.


3. While chicken is cooking and water is coming to a boil for the pasta, chop onion and pepper. Once chicken is done, take it out the skillet to rest. Scrape up any brown bits in the skillet, if any. Add 1 tablespoon of oil (if necessary) and then add the onions and peppers to the skillet.


4. Add a pinch of salt to the veggies. Cook the onions and peppers for about 5 minutes. Once veggies are tender, add the 2 tablespoons butter. Let it melt. Add 3 tablespoons flour and mix until it forms a paste with the veggies.


5. Add the 2 cups chicken broth slowly to the veggie mix. Stir and let simmer for about 5 minutes.


6. Drop the pasta in the water. Cook according to package directions.

7. When the pasta is done, drain and put back in the hot pot. Cut up the chicken and place it in the pot on top of the pasta. Take the jerk sauce and pour it over the chicken and the pasta. Toss and ENJOY.