Video: Money-Saving Meals from Sandra Lee

From Denny: Chef Sandra Lee from the Food Network has launched her new show about Money Saving Meals. She is a creative person AND a joy to watch while she figures out how to save us money and make it taste good!

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Here are the recipes from NBC:

Slow-cooked orange margarita tacos

Throw a cheap but fabulous party by making margarita tacos

From: Chef Sandra Lee
Makes 10 servings$14.03, $1.40 per person

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 8 hours

Inactive prep time: 5 minutes

Ease of preparation: Easy

INGREDIENTS

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup margarita mix with orange liquor added

1 10-pound bone-in pork shoulder picnic

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 cup orange marmalade

20 corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS

Place the onions and margarita mix and liquor in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker. Season the pork roast with salt and pepper. Stir together garlic and soy sauce and rub all over pork roast. Place the roast in the slow cooker and spoon marmalade over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

When meat is done, remove from slow cooker, let rest for 5 minutes then shred or break up with a fork and arrange on platter. Strain sauce and stir 1 cup into shredded pork.

Warm tortillas slightly in a 250° F oven or in microwave. Set out pork and tortillas with red cabbage slaw and have guests assemble their own tacos.

*****

Simple red slaw

From: Chef Sandra Lee

Makes 10 servings$2.89, $.29 per person

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ease of preparation: Easy

INGREDIENTS

1 small head red cabbage

4 medium carrots, coarsely grated

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

Fresh-ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Finely shred cabbage with a sharp knife. Mix cider vinegar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss, add cabbage and carrots and toss to combine.

Use as topping for pulled pork tacos.

*****

Grilled corn and bean salsa with baked corn chips


From: Chef Sandra Lee

Makes 10 servings$4.29, $.43 per person

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ease of preparation: Easy

INGREDIENTS

4 ears corn, shucked or 4.5 cups frozen corn kernels

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoons chili powder

1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes (well drained)

1 can (15 ounces) black beans (drained and rinsed)

1/2 medium red onion, diced

1 minced jalapeno

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

DIRECTIONS

For salsa:
Set up grill for direct cooking over medium heat.

Brush corn with oil and season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Place on hot grill and cook 8 to 12 minutes, turning frequently. Remover and let cool. When cool enough to handle, cut kernels from the cob. Place corn in a bowl with tomatoes, beans, onion, and jalapeño. Whisk together lime, garlic, cilantro. Pour over vegetables and beans and toss to combine. Season with salt & pepper.

Optional indoor roasted corn: Preheat oven to 400°. Cut corn kernels from cob and place on baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, chili powder, salt and pepper. Roast in over for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

For chips:

Preheat oven to 400°

Cut each tortilla into 8 triangular portions. Arrange in a single layer on a sheet pan. Spray with canola oil cooking spray, sprinkle with salt and bake until crisp and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Allow to cool and serve with salsa.

Recipe: Orange Chocolate Bundt Cake

From Denny: The wonderful site of BellaOnline.com of which their food and wine section is one of many areas they cover for womens' issues! This is an easy recipe to make for weekend company or if you and yours are going to a relative's house to celebrate this Mother's Day.

"Orange Chocolate Bundt Cake combines the flavors of fresh oranges and dark chocolate to make a decadent cake that stays moist; it’s also pretty enough to serve company.

Since this delicious cake starts with a mix, it goes together quickly; once a few other simple ingredients are added, the cake takes on the texture and flavor of a made-from-scratch cake. Don't be surprized when this cake becomes an oft requested favorite."

By Karen Hancock, Desserts Editor

Orange Chocolate Bundt Cake

Yield: 16 Servings

Cake

1 18.25 ounce yellow cake Mix

1 3 oz. package orange gelatin

2 oranges

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 teaspoon orange extract

1 cup mini chocolate chips, or semi-sweet chocolate chips coarsely chopped in the food processor

Frosting

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons whipping cream

1 teaspoon orange extract

Orange zest, for garnish

Spray a 10" bundt pan with Baker's Joy (alternatively, spray the pan liberally with non-stick spray and sprinkle a tablespoon or two of flour into the pan. Rotate the pan so that flour covers the inside of the pan and dump the excess flour out; set the pan aside).

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Mix the cake mix and gelatin in a large mixing bowl.

Using a Microplane or fine grater, remove the zest from the oranges; add all but 1 teaspoon of the zest to the cake mixture (save the other half for the frosting).

Juice the oranges; you should have about 1 cup juice; if you don't have a full cup, add water to make 1 cup.

Add the juice, vegetable oil, eggs, and orange extract to the cake and gelatin mixture.

Mix on low speed until combined, scraping the bowl a couple of times.

Turn the mixer to medium and beat until the batter is smooth, 2-3 minutes.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared bundt pan.

Bake 45-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.

Remove from the oven and cool 10 minutes; invert cake onto a cooling rack and cool thoroughly.

Frosting: Pour the chocolate chips into a microwaveable container; add the butter and whipping cream.

Microwave 1 1/2 minutes or until the butter is melted and the cream is warm; let sit 5 minutes.

Add the orange extract and the reserved orange zest; whisk until thick and smooth.

Pour the mixture over the top of the bundt cake, allowing it to drip down the sides.

Garnish with additional orange peel if desired.

Amount Per Serving

Calories 391 Calories from Fat 198
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 50%
Protein 5%
Carb. 45%

Nutrient Amount per
Serving:

Total Fat 22 g
Saturated Fat 8 g
Cholesterol 63 mg
Sodium 251 mg
Total Carbohydrate 44 g
Dietary Fiber 0 g
Sugars 14 g
Protein 5 g

Vitamin A 5%
Vitamin C 46%
Calcium 0%
Iron 4%

Recipe: Shrimp with Red-Eye Gravy and Grits

Image by protoflux via Flickr

From Denny: As is often said in south Louisiana: This dish is SO GOOD it will make you slap your dead dog! Or, as any good Cajun would tell you, It's all about the gravy, cher!

Photo of their version of shrimp and grits from another place in the South, the Low Country of South Carolina.


From: Mr. B's Bistro

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients:


8 strips applewood-smoked bacon, cut crosswise into thirds

20 jumbo shrimp (12 per pound, about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled, leaving tail intact, and deveined

4 large wooden skewers, soaked in water for 10 minutes

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 1/2 tsp firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 1/2 cups dark chicken stock

2 1/2 Tbsp pepper jelly

1 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

3 cups Mr. B’s stone-ground grits

2 Tbsp minced fresh chives


Directions: Wrap 1 piece bacon around center of each shrimp (reserve leftover bacon) and line up on a work surface. Skewer 5 wrapped shrimp onto each skewer, leaving a little space in between each shrimp. Season shrimp with salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until almost smoking. Add 2 skewers and cook 2 minutes each side, or until bacon gets crisp. Repeat cooking shrimp in same manner. Transfer shrimp to a plate.

To skillet add vinegar and brown sugar and cook about 1 minute, or until reduced by half. Add stock and cook over high heat until reduced by half. Add jelly and cook 1 minute, or until jelly is dissolved. Remove skillet from heat and add butter, stirring, until just melted. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

In a small skillet cook leftover bacon until crisp. Cool and crumble.

To serve, mound grits on plates. Remove shrimp from skewers and arrange around grits. Drizzle sauce over grits and garnish with reserved bacon and chives.