mydinnerideas.com

Bean & ‘Bello Burger

Hey, veggies! No need to sit on the sidelines at your first barbecue of the season.
Try a juicy burger—sans the beef! This vegetarian option is just as filling as the original, with beans that pack a protein punch.
 
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 tablepsoons canola oil
2 medium portobellos, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs
4 whole-wheat buns
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices

Preparation
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Cook mushrooms, onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally, until pepper begins to soften, 4 to 5 minutes. Add beans, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper. Cook, smashing beans with the back of a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer mixture to a bowl and mix in eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and breadcrumbs. Form into 4 patties. Wipe out skillet; heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat and cook burgers until brown and firm, 6 to 7 minutes per side. Place on buns; top each with 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce, a lettuce leaf and a tomato slice.

I have those economy issues every year.  I have come up with a lot of different
ways to combat the high cost of Christmas though.  Here's some ideas that work
for me -

Christmas cards - I purchase them at Goodwill!  Dayton Hudson which owns Target
and also several department stores like Marshall Fields, gives their overstock
to Goodwill for tax deductions purposes.  I have found beautiful cards - ones
people just gushed over! - for literally 49cents a box!  This year I already
have my cards purchased - I bought two boxes of ice blue cards that had
snowflakes embroidered into the front of the card!  They are quite classy, very
pretty and you guessed it - I paid 50 cents a box!  (These are brand new
wrapped boxes of cards!)  I also make my own Christmas letters and labels on
the computer with clip art.  One tip I have found - if you dont want to buy
professional family pictures to send - take one of your family yourself on a
digital camera and then add it to the Christmas letter that you computerize as
part of the "art" on the letter.

Decorations - I picked a theme for my Christmas decorating and each year scout
out the stores as to the pieces that will "fit" into my theme and then buy one
piece for my theme on the day AFTER Christmas so I have a nice surprise to
unwrap for next years Christmas decorating.  Another valuable source for
Christmas decorations and serving pieces etc is Goodwill.  I have found
beautiful pieces I could not have normally afforded from really good name
companies such as Mikasa, Williams Sonoma, Department 56 etc - and all for
under $5 each!  Another one of my secrets is doing as the designers do and
going to the craft store/fabric store for tree decorations.  You can wrap a
beautiful piece of fabric around the tree instead of a pricey tree skirt, use
wired ribbon for garlands instead of pricier actual christmas garlands on the
tree, and use small craft objects (I used my silk butterflies) for ornaments on
the tree.  

Food - I buy an extra turkey every year at Thanksgiving when they are on sale
so inexpensively and keep it in the freezer until Christmas.  Instead of baking
so many different kinds of things each year and running up too much money on
baking ingrediants, I alternate cookie and cake recipes each year so we have
just enough cookies and cakes without making so much that they dont get eaten
or everyone loads up on too much sugar and calories.  It is so easy to
overindulge in the baked stuff around the holidays but how many of us have so
much uneaten desserts after the holidays are over?  Another secret is Trader
Joes grocery store.  They have some great imported candy, sparkling fruit juice
etc around holiday time for extremely reasonable prices.

Gifts - I am sending just token gifts this year (under $10) to my mom and my
sister, cards only to everyone else and just buying for my kids.  I am getting
them one expensive present of a Wii system and a couple games that they can all
four use, then "filling in" with some fun but not very expensive stuff like
books, board games etc. Then I fill their stockings with little cheapy novelty
items and candy - things like blowing bubbles, silly putty, slinkys, etc - just
little silly stuff that can be found very cheaply.  They love this! 

Extras - I have the kids picture taken every year at Walmart.  I go with the
standard package and end up getting a huge bunch of pictures (enough to send
all the relatives and friends in their Christmas cards for under $10 total.
Every year I invest in a new pair of pajamas and slippers for them - I have
made it a tradition - it is kind of nice as it is practical and wearable but
still counts as a gift - I give them this gift at Christmas eve so they look
good in their Christmas morning pictures!

I am All about the after Christmas deals! We even buy our artificial
trees (when needed) for the next year this way. A cheap gift we
usually give our neighbors and co-workers is a bottle of sparkling
cider. Then we wrap them in layers of tissue paper. (we buy this
after Christmas as well for about 25 to 50 cents a pack) 

Take 2 or 3 sheets and lay them one on top of the other. Twist
each "layer" about the middle so the corners no longer match up. you
should have 12 points if you used 3 sheets. Set the bottle upright
in the center and gather the paper up around it. I try and make even
pleats as I do this. Then we use some wire ribbon (Yup, bought the
year before) to twist around the neck and then add a small bow or
those decorative "picks" you get at the craft store. 

I will sometimes put some curly twigs (usually for floral
arrangements) out the top of the package as well. I once even took
several clear glass 1/2" glass ornament balls and wound them on wire
i had comming out the top. This looked like Champagne bubbles
floating out the bottle! I have been known to spend more money on
the "wrapping" than on the present even with my bargain hunting! LOL

We also buy our cards the previous year as well. We have accumulated
quite a stash! We do not always send the same card to everyone (some
like funny cards, some like religeous ones, etc.) So now I write who
we sent one to in the back of the box so the next year we can see who
hasn't recieved that particular card.

Several years ago we did a Mardi Gra tree (The picture is in the
photo section under "1 half elfs") We had seen some trees at the
fetival of trees with some really cool ribbon on them. We looked
EVERYWHERE and could not find any! I was walking through WalMart a
couple of weeks before Christmas and cut through the fabric secion
and saw this tulle type fabric with gold stars on it for 1.00 per
yard! I bought several yards and "sliced" it into ribbons. You can
see it on the tree in the photo section. Theleft over I have used as
a tree skirt and also cut into squares for wrapping the bottles of
cider (above)

As for you Christmas pics we have found that it is actually cheaper
to have WalMart print them. They come out nicer and for the most
part cost less than the cost of colored ink and photo paper you do
yourself. 

My sister always Makes Chrismas Pillow cases every year for her
kids. Even a non sewer like me can figure out how to sew one of
those. She even made Christmas pillow cases for her husbands
coworkers one year. Gave 2 to each so they had a matching set.

Brian
~The Elf~

Homemade Taco Seasoning

3 TBLS = 1 Taco Seasoning Packet

4 tsp dried minced onion
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Homemade Pizza Seasoning:

2 TBLS Oregano
2 TBLS Parsley
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
S&P

Mix and store in old spice container

How to Organize a Cookie Swap

What better time to get some friends together and have a cookie swap! This could
also include candy, as well! It is a great opportunity to spend time
with your friends and have some fun all while sharing some great
recipes. It will also get you into the Christmas spirit!

How To Get Started

You will want to start with invitations of course! It would be a good
idea to send these out at least 1 month in advance of the cookie
swap. The Christmas season is usually very busy and the weekends fill
up fast! You could also think about having your cookie swap on a
Sunday afternoon or weekday night. Do whatever works best for you and
your friends. Be sure and state on the invitation a few key rules.
Let’s look at those real quick.

Bring at least 3 dozen cookies

It is a good idea for everyone to bring at least 3 dozen cookies if
not more. You want to make it worth everyone’s effort to come to your
cookie swap. Usually 1 dozen per person invited….example…you
invite 12 people…everyone must bring 12 doz. cookies. To leave
with only a dozen or so cookies would not make it worth it for some
people. You will also need to note on your invitation to bring a dish
from home to transport their goodies back home.

Homemade cookies/candy only

This rule just makes it fair for everyone. You don’t want Sally to
bake all day or 2-3 days on her goodies only to have Betsy show up
with a box of store bought cookies. So, homemade only! It would also
be a good suggestion to bake your goodies 1-2 days in advance of the
swap.

Please R.S.V.P.

I would definitely require everyone to R.S.V.P. if they plan on
attending. This will let you know how many to expect and how much
food to have. Although it is also a rule to expect about half or less
to show up of the ones you invite. If you are doing a cookie swap at
your church or other organization it may be a good idea to post a
sign up sheet for everyone to sign up. You could also share in
bringing the finger foods and drinks.

Tips For The Host

Here are a few tips and suggestions for the host of the cookie swap.
Have some recipe cards and pens available for everyone to share their
recipes. Hopefully everyone will be willing to share. It may also be
a good idea to have some parchment paper available. If you really
want to be thorough you could have a few extra take home boxes in
case someone forgot theirs.

Presentation is Everything

When your guests start arriving have them fill out a card to place in
front of their goodies with their name and recipe name. It would be a
nice touch to have Christmas decorations and the table decorated
nicely and arrange all the goodies creatively.

To begin your swap I would suggest everyone eat and visit for a bit
and then when everyone is done go around the room and have each guest
state what they brought and any story or history behind it. This is
always fun and sure to bring a lot of laughs! You could also do a
prize for the guest who is dressed the most festive.

After everyone has shared what they brought you will need to form a
line and have each guest take about 3-5 cookies from each plate. You
will probably be able to go around 2-3 times until the cookies are
gone. For the most part, it will all come out evenly.