Chrysa, Author at Thrifty Recipes

Sweet & Spicy Skillet Chicken with Rice in 20 Minutes

March 27, 2014 by Chrysa 6 Comments

Sweet & Spicy Skillet Chicken with Rice

This is one of those easy, single pan in a hurry kind of dishes that you can make any time. The ingredients are few, the cook time is short and there is virtually no prep time. The end result is still a satisfying, homemade meal that was not handed to you in a paper bag with a bill. Sweet & Spicy Chicken with Rice can also be made ahead of time and frozen!

What you need:

1 1/2 pounds cooked chicken (or use 1 bag of Tyson Grilled & Ready fully cooked chicken strips)

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 red bell pepper- sliced in 1/4 inch strips

1/2 yellow bell pepper- sliced in 1/4 inch strips

1 medium carrot- julienned

(Photo Courtesy- Mediterrasian.com How To Julienne Carrots)

1 jar of Frank’s RedHot Sweet Chili Sauce

1 cup of uncooked white rice

2 cups of water

What to do:

In a large skillet on medium high, add the olive oil , then heat the chicken for about 3 minutes.

Add the carrots & peppers, stir, cook for about a minute.

Add the rice, water and 1/2 the bottle of Franks Sweet Chili Sauce. Mix.

Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.

TIP* Cooking white rice is easy if you do this one thing…. DO NOT take the lid off during the cooking process. White rice is usually cooked by steaming. Removing the cover let’s out the steam. You may have some sticking on the bottom of your pan, but that is just part of it and better than uncooked or mushy rice.

Top with the remaining Sweet Chili sauce and serve!

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Filed Under: Main Dishes Tagged With: chicken, dinner, easy, quick, rice, supper

8 Delicious Recipes Using Leftover Brewed Coffee

March 24, 2014 by Chrysa Leave a Comment

8 Delicious Recipes Using Leftover Brewed Coffee

Leftover brewed coffee??? What is that? No, really though, honestly even though we are huge coffee drinkers we always pour some down the drain at the end of the morning. It drives me crazy, then on the days I brew less to save waste, we want more. So we make more and then …. you get the idea. So, I set out to find a few yummy recipes that call for using leftover brewed coffee. Of course you can brew coffee specifically for these recipes if you need to.

Note* Store brewed coffee in an air tight container, in the fridge for about a 3-5 days if needed.

Enjoy!

Coffee & Brownies

Coffee Ice Cubes

Coffee House Cake

Mocha Cupcakes with Espresso Buttercream Frosting

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dessert Tagged With: breakfast, coffee, desserts, leftovers

Easy Homemade Beef Stew In One Hour

March 23, 2014 by Chrysa 10 Comments

Easy Homemade Beef Stew In One Hour

Beef Stew is one of those dishes that most people think has to cook all day or for hours to taste good. It is true that the longer the cooking time, the more flavors and tender the meat is. But, this recipe is different. This recipe will achieve the same in about an hour. So, if you come home from work cold, tired and craving something to warm you up, homemade beef stew IS possible! Follow the steps below and enjoy!

What you need:

1 Beef Stew Seasoning Packet (or make your own with this recipe)
Olive Oil
1 Pound Beef cut into 1/2 inch cubes
*TIP* Do not buy pre-cut “stew beef”, it is usually a cut of meat that is more tough since most stores expect that someone making stew will be cooking it all day or using a slow cooker. Instead pick out a more tender cut of meat and cube it yourself.
2 medium carrots cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 large potato diced
1/2 box frozen peas OR use cut green beans (preference)
3 cups water
2 tablespoons flour

What to do:

1. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a stock pot or dutch oven, heat on medium

2. Add diced beef and brown for about 5 minutes. Add the flour and mix well to coat the beef (this helps thicken the sauce later)

3. Whisk together the beef stew packet and 3 cups of water, pour slowly into the pot, mix well. Add all the veggies except the peas or green beans. Add those 15 minutes before finished.

4. Bring to a boil, immediately reduce to medium low ( about a 2-3 on your dial, stove tops vary heat should be hot enough to cook but not boiling) for about an hour.

This tastes wonderful served with fresh bread. Normally I use this easy biscuit recipe , but I was not in the mood so we just had buttered bread.

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Filed Under: Main Dishes Tagged With: beef stew, dinner, easy, homemade, main dishes

Fifteen Minute Cheesy Western Omelette Bites

March 23, 2014 by Chrysa Leave a Comment

Fifteen Minute Cheesy Western Omelette Bites

Great as an appetizer, addition to brunch or just a light breakfast, these cheesy western omelette bites are easy and done in fifteen minutes. Instead of making a traditional omelette or quiche, the scrambled egg mixture gets poured into cute and crispy little fillo dough cups (phyllo or filo). My favorite is usually spinach and feta cheese, but we decided to change it up and use some peppers.

What you need:

1 Box of Athen’s Mini Fillo Shells

2 Eggs beaten with 1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 each of : small tomato, onion, green pepper- diced

pinch of salt & pepper

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350

Place the mini shells onto a buttered cookie sheet

Combine the diced tomato, peppers, and onion into a small bowl with the salt, pepper, cheese and beaten egg/milk mixture.

Pour into each shell , you may need to use a fork to guide the veggies and cheese into the cup otherwise just the liquid will pour out. You can fill right to the top.

Bake on 350 for 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Print or save this recipe!

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Breakfast Tagged With: appetizer, breakfast, cheese, easy, egg

How To Prolong Life Of Produce In Small Refrigerator

March 23, 2014 by Chrysa 2 Comments

How To Prolong Life Of Produce In Small Refrigerator

With as much as I cook , one would think that I have this nice, new, big refrigerator to hold all of my ingredients. I don’t. Mine is actually even smaller than the standard 18 cubic foot. This one was here when we moved in and I am too cheap to buy a new one, I figure it works so might as well wear it out.

I had to come up with a few tricks to make this small refrigerator practical, the most important being how to keep my produce fresh. Especially with all of the vegetables we grow during the season. I was noticing a lot of wilting and premature rotting with the veggies in our “crisper drawer”. I quote crisper drawer because it is actually just a drawer. It does not crisp, nor does it preserve.

Here is an easy way to help prolong the life of your produce in a small (or older model) refrigerator.

Produce needs a few things to survive after being harvested or brought home from the grocery store:

Humidity
Air circulation
Cold Temperatures

If your smaller or older model fridge lacks a humdity/temperature controlled crisper drawer follow these steps to help preserve your produce and keep it fresh longer.

Remove the drawer. Use the space, but not the drawer. Cramming all that produce into the drawer prevents air flow and confines the natural gases fruits and veggies give off. This will ripen and rot your produce faster.
Remove produce from their plastic bags when you can (like tomatoes, cucumbers, onions)
Wet a few paper towels, ring them out, place inside of zip lock bag. Leave the bag open and sit it on the middle shelf in the back corner. This will add moisture to the air and help prevent drying. use two if you see in a week that one is not enough.
Single rows- Make sure produce is not piled on top of each other on the shelves

Note: Removing the crisper drawer also keeps the product cooler, being stuffed into a drawer actually keeps them warmer just as if you cuddled up next to someone for warmth.

In addition, If you have the room and want to spend the money it is also a great idea to buy one of those little gadgets that help keep product fresh.

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: fruit, how to, product, storage, vegetables

20 Meals That Can Be Made In 20 Minutes

March 21, 2014 by Chrysa 2 Comments

20 Meals That Can Be Made In 20 Minutes

Looking for a quick meal that will satisfy and look like you spent all day making it? These recipes are for you. This list of 20 easy meals can be made in 20 minutes. Your family will wonder where you found the time to make them. I’m making the Asian Beef with Snow Peas tonight. Pick one, try it out, see how easy it is to make a great homemade meal fast and then let us know which one if your favorite!

Walnut Encrusted Salmon

Buffalo Shrimp Grilled Cheese

Pancake Cups

One Skillet Cheesy Taco Pasta

One Pot Quinoa & Vegetable Dish

Seared Salmon with Tzatziki Sauce

Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken

Pesto Egg Salad

Best Chili Recipe

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Simple Butter Scallops

Cilantro Lime Tilapia

Ribeye Pork Chop with Berry Cilantro Sauce

Skinny Cobb Salad

Squash Pepper & Kale Hash

Texas Thai Tacos

One Pot Honey Balsamic Spring Chicken Recipe

Easy Huevos Rancheros

Asian Beef with Snow Peas

Delicious Grilled Burgers

Filed Under: Main Dishes Tagged With: 20 minute meals, easy, main dishes, meals, quick

Semi-Homemade Apple Cinnamon Pastry With Berry Syrup

March 20, 2014 by Chrysa 1 Comment

Semi-Homemade Apple Cinnamon Pastry With Berry Syrup

Do not be afraid, this recipe is easier than it looks. Create a bakery style pastry in just 15 minute prep time. The best thing about semi-homemade recipes is just that… they are semi-homemade. Semi-homemade refers to a recipe that uses pre-made or packaged items as a short cut combined with your other ingredients, but with homemade results. It is quite fabulous and saves a lot of time.

Follow the steps below and be your own pastry chef for an evening!

Ingredients:

1 Can apple pie filling
16 4×4 puff pastry squares
3/4 cup Powdered sugar
1 cup Sugar + 1 teaspoon
2 teaspoon Cinnamon<
3/4 cup Melted Butter
Berry Syrup
1 Pint strawberries
1 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lay 8 puff pastry squares on a cookie sheet, brush with melted butter.
3. Scoop one spoonful of apple pie filling onto each square, gently spread out to 1/2 inch from edges
4. Place a puff pastry square on top of each, lightly press down, brush with melted butter
5. Bake for about 15 mins or until golden brown.
6. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, sprinkle cinnamon & sugar

For the syrup- use this homemade method OR just buy a container of frozen strawberries in syrup!

Puree the strawberries in a blender, add to a medium sauce pan with 1 cup of sugar. Mix well.
Slowly heat to boiling, constantly mixing. You do not want your berries to burn, so keep mixing, juices will be extracted as the heat and the sugar dissolves.
If for some reason your berries are not juicy, add 1 teaspoon of water. Cook on medium high until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, strain to remove seeds and strawberry pulp. Let cool completely.

Finish by drizzling the berry syrup over the pastry, garnish and serve!

Optional icing/glaze: 1/2 cup Powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of milk, mix and add milk until desired consistency is reached.

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Filed Under: Breakfast, Dessert Tagged With: apple, berry, desserts, easy, pastry, semi-homemade

How To Make The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg Every Time

March 20, 2014 by Chrysa Leave a Comment

How To Make The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg Every Time

Hard boiling eggs is one of those things most of us have to stop and think about each time we make them. How long do I boil them? Did I boil these long enough? Can I peel them yet? Are they cooled enough? It can be difficult because you never know if they are cooked until it’s too late. You cool, peel and cut open the egg only to find out the yolk is runny. I got so tired of this happening that I experimented until I got it just right. Having chickens made it a bit easier, endless eggs!

It can be easy to over cook an egg. If that happens the yolk will be hard and chewy, very unappetizing. Follow these easy steps and you will have the perfect hard boiled egg every time.

1. Place the eggs in a sauce pan and cover with water. Make sure the water covers the top of the egg. Bring to a boil.

2. Immediately turn off the burner, remove the pan from the heat and cover. Follow the chart below: Stoves burners do vary and some heat hotter and quicker than others. So you may need to adjust your time.

3. Place the eggs in cold water for 5 minutes to stop the residual cooking.

Serve warm or refrigerate. To make peeling easier, do not over crack the egg. Tap it gently on one end, peel away the shell to form a circle, then use your thumb to peel, kind of like you would an orange.

For A Soft Cooked Egg: Simmer gently on medium low, about 8 minutes.

Super cute Heart Shaped Egg Molds (not an affiliate link, I just think they are adorable and wanted to share!)

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: cook, easy, eggs, how to

13 Decadent Desserts Using 4 Ingredients or Less

March 20, 2014 by Chrysa Leave a Comment

13 Decadent Desserts Using 4 Ingredients or Less

A decadent dessert doesn’t have to be complicated. I know you have seen the food shows and read the magazine articles listing ingredients you have never heard of. Bordering on scientific. Sometimes just reading the recipe was exhausting and confusing.

This list of my favorites include chocolate, coconut, praline, caramel and more ooey gooey deliciousness all in quick, easy steps using 4 ingredients or less. Most of them don’t even require baking! You can not get much easier than that. So the next time you have a sweet craving at 10 p.m ( I hope I am not the only one who gets those…) whip up one of these desserts and Enjoy!

Fruit Cocktail Cake

Macaroon Cookies

Reese’s Pieces Roll-Ups

No Bake Peanut Butter Fudge

Fluffy Pumpkin Dip

Angel Food Cake

Best 4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookie

White Chocolate Peppermint Mousse

No Machine Needed Coconut Ice Cream

Fudgey Peanut Butter Handpies

M&M Crescent Rolls

Frozen Snickers Pie