I Got It At ALDI

Taking someone else's word for coffee is like sending someone else to try on shoes for you. I have held off on writing a coffee review since I know everyone's taste is different. I am by no means a coffee-snob, but maybe if I give you an idea of the coffees I typically like, then you can get an idea how your taste compares to mine. At Starbuck's I order the Blonde Roast as I find the others to be too bitter and strong for my taste. Before I started shopping at ALDI we purchased a medium roast Seattle's Best and Dunkin Donuts (my husband's fav.) for our home drip. I enjoy flavored coffee as long as it is mild and doesn't go overboard with an artificial tasting flavor. I do not care for Folgers or Maxwell House or whatever is brewed in the waiting rooms of auto repair shops. Clear as mud? 1. Best Daily Drip: Specialty Selected Regular Roasted Ground Coffee: This is my go-to everyday coffee that we make in the morning. It is one of the ALDI "Fan Favorites&qu…

Thanks to Jessica for the heads up on ALDI rolling out whole wheat flour! I spotted this in our store in the last aisle with the other miscellaneous rotating products. They were priced at $2.79 for a 5 lb. bag. Here are the online prices I found on whole wheat flour to give you an idea of how great a deal this is:ALDI: $.50/lbSam's Club: $.92Walmart: $.75Target $.67/lb
I went ahead and purchased two bags, so I will posting some whole wheat baking recipes as I use this throughout the holidays.

Every year at Thanksgiving we buy an Appleton Spiral Sliced Ham from ALDI for those who are not turkey fans at our dinner table. My husband is a huge fan, so I figured I would cook one over the weekend with some Kaese Spaetzle for a German-themed dinner night. After serving our family dinner, which barely put a dent in the 10 lb. ham, I trimmed and froze about half the remaining meat, portioned out some for weekday lunches with the leftover spaetzle, and still had about 3 lbs. leftover for sandwiches (or whatever) along with the ham bone.

So what to do with the ham bone? I have a couple of soup recipes that call for a ham bone, but this split pea recipe is by far my favorite.

Split Pea and Ham Bone Soup (Slow Cooker) Serves 4, Cost per Serving $.37 Ingredients One ham bone with some meat remaining 1 lb. dry split peas - rinsed and sorted (I have also used lentils when I don't have split peas) 8 cups of water 1 onion, chopped 4 carrots, peeled and chopped 4 stalks of celery, choppe…

This is essentially the same recipe as our Chicken Stock but just a reminder that you can stretch whole turkeys and chickens by making stock from the bones once you've removed all the meat.  Why Make Your Own Stock? I haven't bought a can of broth in years since learning to make this and Vegetable Stock. I love that you can stretch ingredients and make something so useful out of what most people see as trash. As an added bonus, you are eliminating processed ingredients as compared to commercially prepared broth. Below is the ingredient label for ALDI's turkey broth which I would imagine is similar to most commercially prepared stocks or broths.
Turkey Stock Ingredients 1 turkey or chicken carcass (bones- meat removed)
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, peeled
2 stalks of celery, trimmed
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 T. sea salt
Water to fill pot

(Carolyn had a 22 lb. turkey and had to use her canning pot in or…

Yet another way to reinvent leftover chicken or turkey.  Serves 6, Cost per serving $.79 (assuming leftover turkey or chicken) Ingredients 1 package spaghetti noodles 1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of celery 2 cups cooked turkey or chicken  2 stalks celery, chopped 1/2 c. onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 - 1/2 c. chicken or turkey broth or stock 8 oz. Colby Jack or Cheddar Cheese, shredded Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350*

2. Cook spaghetti according to package directions al dente. Drain
3. Mix soups, turkey, onion, garlic, celery, and broth in a bowl. Stir in spaghetti.
4. Transfer mixture to a 9x13 pan.

5. Top with cheese and bake for 30 min.

In case you have tons of leftover turkey like Carolyn, we have number of recipes coming for leftover turkey. Of course you could always substitute turkey for chicken recipes like Chicken Pot Pie or White Chicken Chili but we thought we would add a few more turkey ideas to the collection. This turkey enchilada recipe was a hit at Carolyn's house and is forgiving in the amount of turkey you use, so if you don't have quite enough don't worry.






Serves 4, Cost per serving $1.35 Ingredients 2 T. butter 1 onion, chopped 1 can cream of celery or cream of chicken soup 1 small can diced green chilies  2 c. cooked turkey (or chicken) pieces 1 c. sour cream 1 tsp. chili powder 8 flour tortillas 1-2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, etc.)
Directions1. Mix soup and sour cream in bowl. 
2. Melt butter in sauce pan and saute the onions. Cook until onions are soft, then add green chillies, turkey, and 2 T. of the soup/sour cream mixture. Cook and mix well. 
3. Put about ¼ cup of the soup/…

I get a little bored of lasagna from time to time and this Ziti is my go-to recipe when we want Italian. It is also not a budget buster compared to many lasagna and ziti recipes that can call for pricey Italian sausage or huge amounts of cheese. Serves 8, Cost per Serving $.99

Ingredients 16 oz. dry tube-type pasta, ziti or penne  1 jar of pasta sauce (I prefer the SimplyNature Tomato Basil -organic) 6 deli slices of Provolone Cheese 8 oz. sour cream 12 oz. Mozzarella cheese, shredded 4 oz. Parmesan Cheese, grated
Directions 1. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions and drain. 2. Preheat oven to 350* 3. In a 9x13 pan, spread approximately 2 T. of sauce on the bottom to prevent sticking. 4. Put in half of the cooked noodles. 5. Top with the slices of Provolone spread in a single layer. 6. Top the provolone with the sour cream, spreading evenly. 7. Top with half the sauce. 8. Top with the remaining cooked pasta. 9. Top with the rest of the sauce. 10. Top with the Mozzarell…