Recipe Round-up on Vacation

The Recipe Round-up is on break for one more week.  However, you can check out the newest recipe, Spicy Spaghetti, which uses sale ingredients from next week's Meijer ad.

Happy New Year!
~Lisa

Spicy Spaghetti

(This recipe was originally posted in conjunction with the Meijer Ad week of 12/30/12 - 1/5/13)

We were staying at the home of my cousin in Colorado when we enjoyed this yummy casserole for the first time.  We weren't planning to stay for supper, but changed our minds...and she whipped up this casserole on very short notice!  Basic ingredients create the Mexican twist on an Italian dish.  It comes together quickly, and is easily customizable to your family's tastes.  See the options and tips for ways to make it less (or more) spicy. 

Christmas Break

Meijer generally publishes an ad preview on Friday, but there was no preview this weekend...and the weekly grocery ad didn't come in the Sunday paper either.  I guess that's a sign I should sign off for the holiday week :) 

Most of you probably already have your party menus figured out anyway by now...so instead of the Recipe Round-up, I'm publishing something a little more fun.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

**I'm sharing this because I made something similar as a gift for my grandma, and some of my friends and family asked if they could have a copy of the exact text.  This is the easiest way to share it with them, as well as share "the reason for the season" with all of my blog readers.

                                                                        ~by Lisa DeBoer

Garbage Bag Snack Mix

 

(This recipe was first posted in conjunction with the Meijer ad week of 12/16/12 - 12/24/12)

This recipe makes such a huge batch of snack mix that you literally have to mix it up in a garbage bag!  It comes together pretty fast, because unlike traditional Chex Mix, it doesn't have to be baked.  I like to make it around Christmas time because I can give it as gifts, as well as have some left to bring to holiday gatherings.  The total cost to make this mix might give you sticker shock, but it makes such a large quantity that it ends up being a fairly economical Christmas treat...or a great summer pool-time snack.  Worried about such a large batch staying fresh?  This mix can be frozen!

Recipe Round-up (Meijer Ad 12/16/12 - 12/24/12)

Here's what you can make with what's on sale this week at Meijer:

Coke Roast

[Sale ingredients from Meijer ad week of 12/16/12 - 12/24/12]

On a recent Saturday evening, we went to dinner with some friends.  Sharla shared a yummy roast recipe, and my husband thought it sounded so delicious that I should make our Sunday roast that way the very next day.  I happened to have all the ingredients in the house (and you might too!) because it's so easy, so the next day, we had Coke Roast for dinner.  It was tender and delicious, as promised, and our kids were pretty insistent that they could see "pop bubbles" in our gravy.  Sharla's husband Josh's theory is that the roast is so tender because the acid in the Coke breaks down the meat...which makes this recipe ideal for leaner cuts of beef.  The Coke also gives the gravy a slightly different flavor, so it's a nice change from the typical pot roast.  Enjoy!

Recipe Round-up (Meijer Ad 12/9/12 - 12/15/12)

Here's your weekly dose of menu-planning inspiration...check out all the main dishes you can make with what's on sale at Meijer this week!

(yup, the short form again...you'll probably see it this way a lot during the holiday season!)

Oven-Roasted Ranch Cauliflower

[This recipe was originally posted in conjunction with the Meijer ad week of 12/9/12 - 12/15/12]

This past summer, I had a head of cauliflower in the house and I wanted to do something with it besides smother it with Velveeta cheese sauce.  My "aha" moment came when I thought about one of the most popular recipes on this blog:  Oven Roasted Asparagus.  I started with that concept, and then thought about how we like to dip raw cauliflower in Ranch dressing.  The result was this easy, deliciously different side dish.  Oven-roasting the cauliflower means that it's slightly crispy on the outside but tender on the inside, and the Ranch dressing mix adds the perfect amount of flavor. 

Recipe Round-up (Meijer Ad 12/2/12 - 12/8/12)

Whew!  Lots of great ingredients on sale this week, especially for desserts!  Here's what you can create with those ingredients (and I'm using the "in a hurry" format this week):

Brownie "Buckeye" Cupcakes

[This recipe was first posted in conjunction with the Meijer ad week of 12/2/12 - 12/8/12]

I'm a little hesitant to post anything with the word "Buckeye" in it, particularly after last week's debacle.  But having said that, these cupcakes are seriously delicious.  They look fancy and complicated, but they start with a boxed brownie mix, so they're not terribly time-consuming.  To top it all off, they taste just as good as they look!  If you are a chocolate-and-peanut butter fan, these cupcakes are for you!