Kid Friendly Recipes & Irish Recipes

March is Irish-American Heritage Month, and of course St. Patrick's Day falls on the 17th, so what better time than to share some Irish recipes? Also in this issue, a few new recipes that the kids will enjoy, and they can help make them!

Oh, and on another note, I see that it's National Nutrition Month, but at the same time it's also National Frozen Food Month! Isn't that a little odd? Which one do you think came first and who's trying to outdo who here? Oh yeah, and March 1st is Peanut Butter Lover's Day. A little ironic the timing on that with all the peanut butter problems in the news these days. Be sure to visit our section on peanut butter recipes if you are a peanut butter lover!

In honor of National Noodle Month we've decided that this week's featured pick will be pasta. See all pasta recipes here.  

In This Issue:

1. Pasta Pick
   
2. New Recipes Added
   
3. Frugal Tips
4. Irish Recipes
5. Contest!

Pasta Pick
I tested this recipe myself. Now just so you know, I am not much of a Hamburger Helper fan, and this recipe really reminded me of that. So if you really like Hamburger Helper, you should definitely try this. It's decidedly flavorful and yes, frugal too! A great casserole that can be thrown together fairly quick. If you are looking for other pasta recipes, we have a great selection!



Beef Ziti Casserole
Click the recipe name to access a printable version

8 oz. ziti macaroni, uncooked
1 (16 oz.) can Del Monte cut green beans, drained
1 (11 oz.) can Green Giant Niblets corn, drained
1 lb. ground beef
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans Campbell's condensed golden mushroom soup
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can Del Monte stewed tomatoes
1 tsp. dried basil leaves, crushed
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 c. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook ziti according to package directions; drain. Return cooked ziti and vegetables (green beans and corn) to cooking pot used to cook ziti. Meanwhile, in 10 inch skillet over medium heat, cook beef until browned, stirring to separate meat; drain fat. Stir in soup, tomatoes, basil, pepper, and garlic to meat. Heat thoroughly. Add soup mixture to ziti mixture; mix well. Spoon into greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Cover with foil. Bake 15 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese melts. Makes 7 1/2 cups or 6 servings.

You may also like:

Crockpot BBQ Chicken: Want barbecued chicken but don't want to wait for summer? Crank up the slow cooker and follow this recipe for a tasty family meal!

Click here for the recipe

Green Rice: If you are searching for something different then this dish is for you. Feeling adventurous? Try this green rice recipe, step out of your comfort zone and try something new.

Click here for the recipe

Browse all of our recipes!

---

New Recipes
We have recently added some new recipes which can be found on our What's New page. These recipes include kid friendly cuisine and several irish themed meals. Here are the latest additions to our recipe collection of thousands:

KID FRIENDLY IDEAS
Banana Strawberry Sandwiches
Butterscotch Toast
Cheesy French Fries
French Toast Dolls
Milk Toast
Orange Biscuits
Peanut Butter & Jelly Foldovers
Pineapple Oatmeal
Scrambled Eggs in Toast Cups
Wheat Cereal in Apple Juice

IRISH RECIPES
Corned Beef and Cheese Rolls
Corned Beef and Hot Slaw on Rye
Corned Beef anmd Cabbage

MORE NEW RECIPES
Easy Tuna Casserole
Hamburger Soup
New England Clam Chowder
Orange French Toast
Orange Pineapple Ambrosia
Orange Pineapple Jubilee

---

Frugal Tip

Make Your own Broth

If you are able to find chicken on sale, it's a great time to take advantage! Whether it be a whole fryer or drumsticks and thighs, you can easily make your own chicken broth while cooking your chicken. Wash chicken under cool water and place in a large stock pot. Cover chicken with water and add the following:

1 large onion, unpeeled, cut in quarters

3 celery stalks, rinsed and cut in chunks, leaves and all 

3 carrots, rinsed, cut in chunks, ends and all

1-2 garlic cloves, cut in half, peels and all

salt and pepper to taste

There's no set rule, you can add whatever spices, herbs and vegetables that you want to your broth. Keeping the ends on your vegetables has tremendous health benefits as the skins and roots contain a high percentage of vitamins. Carrots will give your broth a lovely golden color!

Bring the chicken and vegetables to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 3 hours. Remove from heat and let cool a bit, about 20 minutes. 

Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken pieces to a bowl. Strain the liquid into another large bowl or pot. I usually do mine twice, once to remove the veggie remnants and a second time through a finer sieve to remove any bits that made it through the first strain. You can discard the veggie pieces or you can run them through a blender or food processor and add them back to your broth. Place the bowl of chicken into the refrigerator and allow it too chill so that it is easier to handle. Place container of broth in the refrigerator as well.

When broth is cool, a layer of fat should have formed on the top. Skim the fat off and place broth into 1 cup portions. I use zipper sandwich bags to store my broth. Place one cup of broth into each baggie and zip closed. Lay the broth bags flat (use a cookie sheet if you have room in your freezer) and freeze. Once frozen you can stand them up and stack them, they fit nicely in my side door. :)

Remove chicken from the refrigerator and shred the meat off the bone. Discard the bones and skins. Store chicken in the refrigerator for a day or two or freeze.

---

Irish Recipes
With Irish-American Heritage Month and St. Patrick's Day upon us, we felt it fitting to share some of our Irish recipes with you. While they may not all be authentic recipes from Ireland, we've found that many Irish-Americans have created their own versions. Here's some of ours for you to enjoy!

• Irish recipes
  
• Lamb recipes
  
• Recipes using cabbage

---

Contest!
If you follow our "Cooking with Alicia & Annie" blog, you know that every month we giveaway fun kitchen & home related prizes. All you have to do is make any of our recipes, then snap a picture and post about it. Now we understand that many people don't have blogs, that's why we are opening this up to those who submit photos on our site of recipes they have made. All you have to do is pick a recipe, upload your photo to it, then email us and let us know!

Remember, we love hearing from you, so please post your comments :)