This Offbeat Life
New Economy Cooking
Backpacking by Bus

GUIDE LINES AND RECIPES
FIRST WEEK

The Quick Saturday Night Supper casserole is very good and extremely easy (see recipe below). For the Corn Muffins I used a small package of corn muffin mix with a 1/2 cup of frozen whole kernel corn added. For the salad add sliced scallions to the romaine and chopped hard cooked egg and add a simple oil and vinegar (3 to 1) dressing. Banana Rum Pudding requires one box of cook and serve vanilla pudding, two bananas and a teaspoon of rum flavoring.

For Sunday Deli Chicken heat 1/4 cup white wine, 1/2 cup apricot jam, add 2 tablespoons butter and some grated fresh ginger for a delicious quick glaze when you reheat the chicken. The Swiss Mocha cake substitutes cold coffee for the liquid called for in the cake mix. The frosting is a simple chocolate butter cream with 1/2 tsp almond extract added. Top frosting with chopped pecans. Make in a 9 X13 pan. Cut in squares and freeze half for Tuesday night.

When you make Monday's Soft Beef Tacos double the amount of beef you need. Leave the extra beef in the skillet and after dinner warm the beef, sprinkle with flour to thicken and add milk. Cook until thickened and refrigerate for Thursday's dinner. For dessert top vanilla ice cream with real maple syrup and toasted pecans.

Hot Chicken Salad is a wonderful use for the rest of the Deli Chicken. The recipe uses mayonnaise so it's fast and easy to put together. You can make the jelled cranberry salad the night before. Dessert is Swiss Mocha Cake from your freezer.

For the recipes for Wednesday's Soup Supper see the 11/99 issue of Get Lost Magazine. You'll have soup leftovers from this recipe for a fill-in meal.

For Thursday take out the hamburger you creamed on Monday and add a small can of drained sliced mushrooms. Use some of liquid from mushrooms to thin sauce if needed. Cut the vine tomatoes in thin wedges, sprinkle with chopped celery tops, scallion tops and parsley. Marinate in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. For the dessert spread 1 quart of washed and stemmed blueberries in the bottom of a quiche or pie dish. Spread a mixture of 3/4 cup of yogurt and 3/4 cup of sour cream over blueberries. Sprinkle 1/2 cup packed brown sugar evenly over sour cream and refrigerate for a few hours.

For Friday Night's Omelette use the same grated Mexican cheeses used in Monday nights tacos Fill the omelette with chopped tomatoes, scallions, bell peppers, cheese, etc. You can find a Thousand Island Dressing recipe in your basic cook book. Joy of Cooking will do and it comes in paper back.

RECIPES

LAYERED CHILI CASSEROLE

1- 4 3/4 oz. bag Fritos (3 cups)
1 can chili, no beans, Wolf's is good
1/2 large onion chopped
1 cup Kraft Grated Mexican cheeses

Spread 2 cups of Fritos in bottom of a baking dish. Sprinkle the chopped onion and half the cheese over the Fritos. Spread chili over the onion and cheese. Top with remaining Fritos and cheese and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

HOT CHICKEN SALAD

2 cups cubed left-over roasted chicken
1/4 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup sliced scallions and tops
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup croutons
Parmesan cheese, paprika
2 tbsp melted butter

Combine chicken, celery, scallions. Mix together mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon pepper and combine with chicken mixture. Thin mayonnaise with a little water to combine more easily if it seems too thick. Put mixture in a buttered casserole and top with croutons. Drizzle butter over croutons and sprinkle with parmesan and paprika. Bake in a 350 oven for 20 to 30 minutes.

JELLED CRANBERRY FRUIT SALAD

1 3 oz pkg lemon jello
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup jelled cranberry sauce
1 can drained mandarin oranges
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Dissolve gelatin in hot water. Add cranberry sauce and beat until sauce is blended. Chill until partially set. Mix in oranges and walnuts. Chill until firm. Serve with orange mayonnaise on the side.