Easy cheesy chicken and rice casserole

This is a fairly easy and painless dinner and makes great leftovers.  It also freezes beautifully if, like me, you like to make your own freezer meals.

5 cups uncooked jasmine rice (approx $2, asian grocery)
1 can chopped tomatoes, any flavor, do NOT drain (<$1, Aldi)
1 block cream cheese, 8oz (<$1, Aldi)
2 large chicken breasts (approx $5, previous bulk sale at Weis)
1 package of deli sliced or shredded cheese, 8oz, such as cheddar, provolone, or jack ($3, Aldi)
Salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste

Cook rice in a steamer or on the stove top according to package instructions.  Melt unwrapped cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and set aside.  Cook chicken breasts in the microwave then cut into 1 inch pieces.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees if you are baking immediately.

Grease a 13x9 pan.  Combine chicken, rice, tomatoes, cream cheese and optional hot sauce, then spread in the pan.  Top with sliced or shredded cheese and desired salt and pepper.  Bake uncovered at 350 for about 30 minutes or until browned.

If you are freezing your casserole, wrap it carefully and put it away.  When you want to serve it, remove it from the freezer, and bake it at 350 degrees uncovered for about 1.5 hours, until the top is brown and it's heated through.  You do not need to thaw it.

This serves 4 adults with extremely healthy appetites or 6 normal adults with a side vegetable.

Total cost? $12       Cost per person? $2-3

Pasta with spicy pumpkin sauce

I made this Halloween weekend for dinner for myself and my gentleman.  The original was taken from http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2011/10/27/spicy-pumpkin-pasta/?utm_source=CuisineRecipes&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5248 and has been greatly altered.

Ingredients:
2  17.5oz pkgs potato gnocchi (4pkg, $4, Costco)
4 T butter
2 T Auntie Arwen's Ultimate Garlic Insanity ($5/jar, www.auntiearwenspices.com)
1 T dry ground sage
1  15oz can pumpkin puree (<$1, Aldi)
1 c instant tomato vegetable broth
1 pinch Auntie Arwen's Flamebreath BBQ mix ($5/jar, www.auntiearwenspices.com)
4oz goat cheese ($6/21oz, Costco)
1 pkg (5 links) Aidells Spicy Mango w/ jalapeno smoked chicken sausage, cut into chunks ($14 for 3  pkg, Costco)

Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat.  Whisk in spices.  Whisk in pumpkin, then slowly add broth.  Whisk in goat cheese.  Mix in sausage chunks and heat thoroughly.  Keeping sauce warm, cook gnocchi according to directions.  Toss gnocchi with sauce and serve.

Makes 4 generous servings
Cost?  Approximately $2.50 per serving

DISCLAIMERS!!!!

All measurements, cooking times, etc. are approximate.  I cook by feel and taste.  It generally works out.

I likely don't know the nutritional information of any given recipe.  But you're welcome to calculate that and place it in the comments if that bothers you.

(more to be added if/when they come up)

November 9, 2011... First post!

I have a lot of conversations with friends about money, finances, and my cooking. I find food to be one of the great pleasures in life and cooking is very relaxing.
Food doesn't have to be fancy. I love spending a few hours cooking, but its a pleasure that I don't have much time for. I've been seeing a lot of books and articles lately about how to feed your family for x amount of dollars a day. So, a lot of this blog is going to be about my experiences cooking, feeding myself and loved ones, and will even get right down to meal cost.