Blog Challenge at The Loft

digi credits: HERE

Here is my lo created using my template (see yesterday's post) for the blog challenge I am hosting over at Tangie Baxter Designs Creative Team Loft. You can still download the template and play for a $5.00 GC to Tangie's store! What are you waiting for?

I have another economical, money saving dish for you out there in recession-land like me. Well, actually two.

Easy Chicken Pot Pie
1 can cream of celery soup (cream of chicken or cream of mushroom)
1 can Veg-all vegetables (or frozen mixed vegetables)
1 can french fried onions
1 pie crust
chicken (left overs)
seasoning - I use Greek Seasoning, but you can season with salt, pepper and some garlic.

You can use store brand for all the items. Depending on the size of your pie plate, its depth, and how many veggies you put in, you can make 2 pies. I prefer to make my own pie crust. It's easy and it's certainly cheaper than buying, but you can buy the store brand pie crust to save money. Also, if you roast a chicken and have left overs, pick the chicken off the bone for this recipe. Or if you buy the Walmart frozen skinless chicken breasts, I use 2. I do not cook them first.

Okay, back to the recipe. Preheat your oven to 350 deg. Put your pie crust in the bottom of your pie pan. Prick with a fork to give it some air and keep it from swelling. Cook for about 10 minutes or so. Dump your cream of celery soup and the Veg-all vegetables in a bowl and mix well. Cut up your chicken to 1" pieces and put in the soup mixture. Put all this in the pie pan over the pre-baked shell. Put in oven for 30 minutes. Top pie with fried onions and cook another 5-10 minutes.
Voila. Easy. Cheap. And tasty!

Okay, another cheap recipe, too. And this one is good for you, too. You can use left over chicken as well or cut up 2 chicken breasts like above.

Easy Chinese Fried Rice
Chicken left overs or two cut up chicken breasts (in 1" pieces)
2 C. brown rice
peas
2 eggs
onion
soy sauce
sesame oil

You do not have to use sesame oil. You can just use regular canola.

Cut up onion and chicken. Cook your rice according to package directions. Five minutes before rice is done, add peas. Put onion and chicken in pan with 2T sesame oil or canola oil. Cook until chicken is done and onions are clear. Crack egg and cook one egg at a time in same pan, scrambling until both eggs are cooked thoroughly. Drain rice and add to pan. Mix. Remove from stove
Serve with soy sauce.
You can add more rice or less rice, more chicken or less chicken depending upon your preference. This is a very flexible recipe. But it is cheap, except for the sesame oil part, but I gave you a substitution. Brown rice is nutritious and gives this a great flavor, but if your family won't eat it, buy the white rice.

I might share one last recipe with you that is very cheap and tasty. Tomorrow! hehehehehe It's a good ole Southern standby and one of my daughter's favorite meals. That's all for now. I've got more CT things to get cracking on!