How to make Picadillo from Preps...aka "FAVORITE"

My one brother always said "Just make favorite." We always just called it "favorite" I actually went through my Filipino Cookbooks and found that it is actually called Picadillo which means to mince or chop. Everyone makes this differently. I find the older the person cooking it the rawer the beef and potatoes are. This is the way that we like it here.

I tell you what I made this almost everyday for a 12 yr old, 9 yr old, 6 year old that I babysat for a few weeks and they ate it like they had been starved for 3 weeks! The middle one was even having it for breakfast.

Ingredients:

1 pints ground beef (canned)
5 potatoes diced
1/2 large onion
5 cloves garlic
2 tbsp red chili flake
1 tsp basil or parsley
4 jalapeno (optional)
1 bell pepper (red or green)
1 cup peas and carrots (frozen or rehydrated)
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp oil


Dice potatoes and put in hot fryer or begin pan frying them. I do this so it's quicker to eat.

Start your rice. Start warming cast iron pan.

Mince garlic and onion and throw into pan.
Add Oil, red chili flake and basil.
Saute and Mix around.



While herbs are cooking mince the bellpepper and pop the beef open. Separate liquid from beef and reserve in separate bowl. Set out peas and carrots.










Keep it Moving and Add Beef.













Add Soy Sauce.

If you drink Fischer beer save the bottles they pop and seal! Perfect for reuse with Asian Sauces.

Keep it Moving...and Move heat to Medium High or High if you can handle it.





Add Potatoes
Add Peas and Carrots
Add Bellpepper
Add Jalapeno

Saute Saute Saute!








Add 2 squirts of ketchup or 6 oz of tomato sauce.












Serve over Rice with a side of...

MEATLOAF...that's in my next blog!

Canned Meatloaf.

Another recipe.
Last night I asked Mr.Man to pick up 10lbs of ground chuck at Albertson's because it was only $1.88/lb. Well We normally get it at Basha's because the Bashas ground chuck is 90/10, Once I opened the Albertsons bag I figured out it was 80/20. 80/20 is very fatty so I pinched off a couple lbs to make some jalapeno burgers and the rest I decided was better for meatloaf.

Recipe
8 lbs beef makes 11 pints


3 grated carrots
1 chopped onion
4 chopped jalapenos
1 white onion diced
4 green onions sliced










8 lbs beef
3 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp paprika
4 tbsp creole seasoning
2 tbsp lemon pepper
6 tbsp salt
5 tbsp garlic powder







6 eggs
3 cups oatmeal (adds fiber and absorbs fat)
optional
1 cup bbq sauce
1 cup ketchup












Mix it all up. mix it thoroughly. I do the mixing with no hands so I can feel if I missed anything, and I can also make adjustments based on texture. Feel free to adjust the recipe to your own liking, some folks mix salsa in or ketchup or even barbecue sauce. It's up to you - make it so you will enjoy eating it.







Once everything is thoroughly mixes I let it rest on the counter while I prepare the jars and canner











Wash the canner, the jars and the lids.
Add vinegar to the water and set it on the stove on medium heat letting it wait with the filled water jars inside.













I set the jars aside with hot water and let the lids dry.












Set your tools out ensuring everything is clean.
If you have gloves get a few out.












Fill the jars about half way. and push down getting out as much air as possible in the sides. I found the best way is to push down the middle and then...










keep pushing down the middle and sides and then fill the centers until it is right below the one inch mark.











Keep pushing and try to keep it as clean as possible.












Don't overpush or it sucks out and comes out with your hand. LOL












These ones are really grungy feeling - so I wiped off the jars 3 times!












Place lids from the hot water...













Shake off Caps and tighten them on jars finger tight...finger tight is one firm turn of your hand.












Place in hot water so they are not touching. Um, you might want to use the jar lifter, I usually don't use the jar lifter at this stage but I have heat resistant hands lol.










Cover and wait for nipple to Pop. Vent for 7 minutes. Then wait for jiggler (weight to start dancing)

Pints: 1 hr 15 mins 10lbs pressure
Quarts: 1 hr 30 mins 10 lbs pressure

But that is the lbs for our elevation please check the ball canning book for your elevation time.





I had this bit left over...so I sanitized another 8 jars for a second batch. The additional meat only fit 3 jars so I flash defrosted 8 chicken breasts and canned an additional 5 pints of chicken.










So here are the results.
1 late night canning session
11 pints canned meatloaf
5 pints canned chicken breast.

That's it.


We like to take our meatloaf - slice it and then pan fry until crisp and eat as a slider! How do you all like yours? If there is a small bit left I slice it in french fry cuts and dip in tempura batter then fry it again. Not a diet food!

August 2011 Preps, Halfway Through!

I know some of you have seen this and some of you haven't. This is the quick pic of our canning. There was 1 full case to the side that I coudn't include in the photo because I didn't want the table to bow lol.

We've been canning since March 20th and have given away about 20 jars. But we still have 22.5 cases of canned food. It is the best addiction ever and it puts your mind at ease to look at the "food room"

Lemon Juice and Acetone...keep it on the shelves, keep notebooks too folks.












I really try to buy domestically made stuff.













Last week this chicken was only 1.89 a lb. But this last WEEKEND boneless skinless breast was only $1.49, the drumsticks and thighs were only .68 cents a lb. UNBELIEVABLE.









Tonight we also went to purchase more ground chuck (our local store here does 90%lean for chuck) and it was holding at $1.88/lb. All I know is that I have this feeling that prices are going to hike astronomically because our prices here are UNBELIEVABLY cheap.







Canning Chicken is one of my favorite things out there. I like how it looks, how it makes the house smell and how it tastes.










I already reviewed this. Just click on the receipt below so you can feel the amazement.












There's my jardiniere and peaches in the background. I just have to keep it up.












Proof is in the Pudding.

Click on it twice to enlarge the pic.













Walgreen's is getting harder and harder to hustle.

Contact Solution: 8 bucks with instant $8 rebate
BPA free baby spoons: $1.09 clearance
Lindt Choco Truffles: $1.50 each
Aquafresh Whitening: $1.29 clearance
Johnson 500pc Q tips: $1.99





I recently started watching youtube videos on how to make your own laundry soap. Last week while I was out shopping I was just keeping an eye out for Fels Naptha/Octagon soap. I didn't find any here in the West Valley so I stocked the Lirio laundry bars (white for whites and yellow for coloured clothes)

The fels is only $1.39 at Food City in the East Valley and the 400g lirio is only .89 cents


The borax was about 2.60 a box and the washing soda is close to $3 a box. Even just having this much would make at least 110 gallons of laundry soap following the most basic recipe.









We stopped by Wally World to pick up my briquets for my brother. Well Mr.Man and I habitually cruise their clearance. Well I saw this coconut oil but I said it's still pricey. Well as we walked away from it this little Asian lady made eyes at him and said What do you Want Hunny I will mark it down for you! He said I will take these for $2...she said Ohhh only $2.50 is my Max Hunny. He said, "I'll TAKE em"




I was helping my brother organize his pantry, house and garage and I found this 25 compartment organizer thrown in the corner of his 3 car garage. I noticed the corner just needed a bit of duct tape and said Hey Can I take this and he said take it.

I'm going to use it to divvy out my first aid kit a bit. The other week Mr.Man got a pretty deep thumb cut and I had to dig inconveniently.


I had that $8 coupon for walgreens. So I went in there to use it before it expired. I found these baby wipes 3 - 100 packs for only $2.50. I also found Keri Lotion for 5.99 with a $5 rebate. Next to Cetaphil and Jergens, Keri is my next choice. I ended up paying $4.78 and they gave me a $5 instant rebate. LOL.

The white choco nestle chips were only 95 cents each at the local dollar store.



Hydrogen Peroxide was only 99 cents a quart at the 99 cent only store. That is one of the best prices I've seen for 32 ounces. We still have a few cases of hydrogen peroxide so I figured 5 quarts would suffice.








We went to the East Valley to drop off some canned stuff and things I got for the Father In Law while I was in Asia. I was really pushing my luck asking Mr.Man to stop at the Asian store when he barely got off a flight from a 4 day bachelor party. But he's a good sport and he went.

The sake was only $6.47 a bottle but they only had 2 left. I also picked up shredded seaweed, wasabi powder, toasted black sesame and salt, green tea incense and good rice flour.

While contemplating what to can I decided to throw a batch of creamcheese brownies for the boys and girls at Arizona Shootersworld - since they are SO nice to us.









While that baked I went outside to push the cucumbers aka WEEDS around - and don't you know I found a cucumber. A nice big 8 inch one that was happy to see me...









I looked again and saw this 5 inch one...













And sleeping under the other side was one more.

It's not much but at least our ghetto garden finally yielded something. I just wanted to can SOMETHING from our first gardening attempt. Looks like I'm gonna get my chance. Thank you Bees for working and thank you Mr.Man for not giving up!

Quick Recipe: Bellpepper Chicken and Thai Cucumber Salad

Here is just something quick and easy that I make as a saute for Mr. Man.

Bellpepper Chicken Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1 bellpepper
1 small onion
3 tbsp oil
1 clove garlic chopped
1 good pinch red chili flake
1 tsp basil
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce.

Saute garlic, chili flake, garlic and basil. Once garlic is light brown throw in Chicken. Cook Chicken thoroughly - Season with soysauce and oyster sauce. Throw in Wok aggressively. Once everything is mixed through add bellpepper and onion. Once the onion and bellpepper are fork tender the dish is ready.

Thai Cucumber

2 cucumbers sliced
1 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 pinch salt
2 Tbsp pepper
3 Tbsp red chili flake
1 tsp soy sauce or fish sauce
1 shake garlic powder
1/4 white onion chopped

Mix everything but cucumbers together in a large bowl with a whisk. Taste. Adjust to taste for more heat or more sweet. Add sliced cucumbers and mix thoroughly. Chill for 1 hour. Serve. I serve this as a side to any kind of roasted meat with rice.

Extreme Couponers Messed It Up for Everyone

LOL! But seriously. You know I caught a couple of those Coupon people episodes and I thought hey that's not a bad idea to pick up a few things. Of course, we don't eat that much processed food which is the majority of what you can buy with those coupons. What I did learn was a lot about Catalina's and instant rebates.

I tell you what - never in my life have I felt the urge to have hundreds of bottles of soda or vitamin water, or dozens of boxes of sugary cereal or the other processed crap they buy. I find it to be a bit disgusting. Because what differentiates them from preppers is just the greed behind the whole thing - I would bet part of my good pantry that they don't even eat half of that crap.

So you ask how did they mess it up for everyone? Well basically almost all the stores have revised their coupon policy's and even the policy on how you use your instant rebates. For people who actually do use coupons in a forthright manner we are no longer able to do so in a LOT of stores. Also I don't like that they bring a negative connotation to the word "stockpile." The other thing I don't like is some of those people won't even buy something for their children if there is no coupon on it "that week" Are you serious! Really. Unbelievable. You save like 97% on your groceries and you won't come out of your pocket for a few bucks for your child. That's sick.

It's annoying and so are they.