This week I am going to tell you how to make an easy, inexpensive meal. It has been years since I bought my own Rice a Roni. I make my own. It only has a few ingredients in it when you think about it. I make it on days when I have fried some kind of meat like chicken thighs and legs which you can get reasonably cheap or pork steaks which are cheaper than chops.

Easy Rice and Pasta:

1 cup rice
1/2 cup broken up pasta
3 boullion cubes - I prefer chicken
Garlic powder to taste
Parsley flakes to taste
Pepper to taste
Vegetables, chopped
Water

After you fry the meat as you normally would, drain off most of the fat from the pan and put in the rice and the spaghetti or other pasta. I like to use linguini. Stir this occasionally till it is slightly browned and put in enough water to cover it about half an inch deep. I put in 2-3 boullion cubes at this point, pepper, a little garlic powder, some dried parsley and whatever vegetables I have on hand. I usually use carrots, celery and peas. This makes it a complete meal and you get all the bits from the meat that was cooked beforehand. Be careful about added salt as the boullion has a lot in it. Simmer till liquid is absorbed and serve. Remember, you can add other spices, herbs or vegetables to suit yourself. That's the fun part of cooking for yourself, it tastes like you WANT it to taste!

We are really looking forward to seeing you when the market opens on the 2nd of May. For more recipes and other information, visit the market's website at: www.rebelhome.net/ccrfm.html or contact me at: bswitzer@scrtc.com.

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One of the first things I learned about saving money when buying food was to buy up things when they are on sale. I was only about 10 when I saw my aunt buying things by the case and it dawned on me how much you could save at a time. If you can't buy that much, buy at least as much as possible when things are on sale. The old saying - Every little bit helps - is true. Don't waste things either. If you have leftovers, use them up. I use mashed potatoes again if I have some leftover. I love potato cakes but you can also use them in meatloaf, in salmon patties or even in dumplings. If I make a meatloaf I put bits and pieces of leftovers in it. That's one thing I like to make ahead, too. I like to catch hamburger or ground chuck on sale and make up several meatloaves and some meatballs and freeze them. It is so easy to pop them in the microwave and heat them up later when you are busy. This is how I start:

Meatloaf and Meatballs

10 pounds or more of ground meat Bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, oatmeal
     leftover cooked rice or a combination
Minced onion or one pack of onion
     soup mix - omit seasonings below
chopped fresh garlic or powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Make as many meatballs as you are going to make out of this mixture. You can freeze them raw or cooked. I like to cook them and have them ready to use. I usually fry mine but you can bake them in the oven. Put them in ziplock bags in meal size servings. Now add any combination of the following to the rest of the mix:

Celery, chopped
Peas
Bell peppers, chopped
Carrot, grated
Potato, shredded
Corn
1/2 cup tomato catsup, sauce or bbq sauce

Form into meal sized meatloaves and top with more catsup or sauce. I like to make my own by taking tomato sauce, brown sugar, yellow mustard and mixing it together and putting it on top halfway through the cook time. Another interesting thing you can do with meatloaf is stuff it. Put anything you think you would like in the middle such as boiled eggs, mashed potatoes, broccoli, whole dill pickles. I've heard of lots of things. If you use cheese, though, be sure you seal it in well or it will ooze out and get everywhere.

For more recipes and other information, visit the market's website at: www.rebelhome.net/ccrfm.html or contact me at: bswitzer@scrtc.com. The members of the market are busy getting things ready for you. It won't be long now till we will have some good, fresh vegetables and fruits. Our produce is Fresher 'cuz it's Local.

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That cold spell last week sure did worry a lot of people but I don't think anyone at the market had any damage. A lot of us have fruits blooming right now and we work hard out there trying to get everything ready for the market. It would have been hard to lose stuff again this year like we did last year. This week, I have a good dish to make while you are working outside. It needs little watching and only needs a vegetable or salad added to it for a full meal. And if you make extra, I'm going to tell you how to make a completely different dish out of it next week! I cook almost every day whether I'm outside or not so a dish that I can toss in the oven and walk away from is very helpful to me. Especially when it is good! That's one of the secrets of being able to cook everyday, making "walk away food." I wouldn't know how NOT to cook. I would be lost.

Greek Chicken and Rice

Cut up chicken pieces - at least 3 pounds
2 cups uncooked rice, white or brown
Oregano
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper
Lemons or lemon juice
Oil
Water

In a large 13x9" pan or bigger, depending on how much chicken you are making, Put the rice and water and some salt and pepper and stir a little. Place the chicken pieces on top, skin side up if you left it on. Sprinkle with lemon juice, if using fresh lemons toss them in once you squeeze them. Sprinkle some salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder over then drizzle with a little oil. Bake for at least an hour in a 325~ oven. Check to see if it is done, cook longer if needed, add more water if rice is getting too dry. You can also add some vegetables to the rice before cooking if you like or even a can of cream soup. Then toss in the oven, run outside, work for an hour and run back in. It's worth the effort. Next week - Stacked Chili Chicken Enchiladas.

For more recipes and other information, visit the market's website at: www.rebelhome.net/ccrfm.html or contact me at: bswitzer@scrtc.com. Remember, the market will open on May 2. Since we grow the produce we sell, what you will find first is what is normally grown this time of year around here like possibly onions, lettuces, greens etc.

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Last week I promised you this recipe. It is another easy one. If you had leftover chicken from last week use that or anytime you have some leftover this is a good way to use it. If you had any leftover rice, you can throw it in here, too.

Stacked Chili Chicken Enchiladas

Small corn tortillas
1 cup cut up cooked chicken
chopped onions
chopped peppers, mild, hot or both
shredded cheese - your choice
1 can beans in chili sauce
1 small can of tomato sauce
dried oregano
dried, ground cumin
garlic powder
salt and pepper
oil
sour cream

In a little oil in a frying pan, cook the onions and peppers. Add chicken and beans and warm through, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. In a bowl, mix tomato sauce, oregano, cumin and garlic powder. Spray a pan big enough to hold two of the tortillas side by side with cooking spray. Put two tortillas in, put some of the chicken mixture on top and sprinkle lightly with cheese. Place another tortilla on top and put more chicken and cheese on that one. Top with another one, pour some of the tomato sauce mixture over both of them, sprinkle top with cheese and bake in a 325 over till warmed through and the cheese is melted and bubbly. This is two servings. You serve a stack to each person after topping with some sour cream. if you want more servings, you can double the recipe and make four stacks but it will probably take two pans. It looks like a promising year for produce, many fruits are blooming. I already have strawberries coming on. Time to get out the netting to keep the birds out!

Remember, the market is open on May 2 and will be open every Friday and Saturday from 8am till 2pm through October 31. We will also be making trips over to the Barren County Health Department on some Tuesdays from 11am-4pm. Check with us to find out which days we will be there. For more recipes and other information, visit the market's website at: www.rebelhome.net/ccrfm.html or contact me at: bswitzer@scrtc.com.

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I was trying to think of something easy for the kids to make for Mother's Day and I was outside and saw all the strawberries setting on and I believe they will be ready by Mother's Day. With that in mind, I remembered a cake I had once that was not only simple it was delicous! It can be adjusted for people who are diabetic by using SplendaŽ, lite topping mix and sugar free pudding. Angel food cake is fat free and low in sugar so it is something many people can have a serving of.

Strawberry Trifle

1 Angel food cake
1 quart strawberries
1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1 container whipped topping

Never wash strawberries or soak in water till you are ready to use them, they are like little sponges and will soak it up. Wash the berries and cut the tops off. Slice and put in a bowl and add sugar, stir gently and set aside. Make the pudding according to the directions on the package. Cut the angel food cake up into bitesize cubes. Place some of these in a large bowl, pour some of the strawberries over, put some pudding over that then some whipped topping. Repeat this process twice ending with the topping. Keep this in the refrigerator till ready to serve. This should be made the same day it will be eaten.

Don't forget - the market is open on May 2 and will be open every Friday and Saturday from 8am till 2pm through October 31. If you have any questions about cooking, preserving or growing things come by and talk to us. We will be glad to help. Also, if any organizations would like to set up at the market for fund raising activities, we will provide a free space anytime we are there. Just contact us ahead of time to make arrangements. We hope to see you Friday!

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Everyone is dying for some fresh vegetables. One of the first things that comes in is lettuce and onions. I know a lot of people here know about "Wilted Lettuce and Onions" but where my family comes from, near Cumberland Gap, TN, they call it "Kilt Lettuce." My dad always made it a little different and a lady whose Grandmother had come from Belgium had an even different way of fixing it. Funny how alike we all are even though we are from all over the world. This is my Dad's recipe but I will add the variations from the Dutch recipe also.

Dad's Kilt Lettuce

Fresh leaf lettuce, he always grew black seeded Simpson but you can use what you like
Fresh curly mustard leaves
Fresh green onions
Bacon
Vinegar
Salt and pepper

Tear or cut up the lettuce and mustard. Dad liked the mustard because it gave it a zip. He used about half as much mustard as he did lettuce. Toss with a small amount of vinegar and the seasonings. Fry the bacon and remove from pan. While the grease is still hot, pour over the salad and "Kill it." It will cause it to wilt. Toss and serve with good old beans and cornbread.

The Dutch version adds chopped boiled eggs and cooked, cubed potatoes. I like to add the bacon crumbled up in mine and I don't like mine "Kilt." I like to let the grease cool and drizzle only a little over the salad. This amounts to putting an oil and vinegar dressing on it. I guess that's my heritage, I like the southern types of food but with a northern twist. I was raised in MI.

Don't forget - the market is now open and will be open every Friday and Saturday from 8am till 2pm through October 31. If you haven't visited our website you are missing out on some great information and recipes. Mary, one of our customers said she looked it over and said it was "very well done." (Hi Mary!) To visit go to www.rebelhome.net/ccrfm.html. We'd be glad to hear from you and we DO answer our mail.

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Strawberries are finally coming in. I have a definite system of fixing strawberries. There is a rule I go by: For every berry you slice into a bowl, you put an equal sized berry in your mouth. Sometimes that rule requires TWO berries in the mouth and only one in the bowl! It depends on how big and pretty the berry is. The same rule applies when picking - one in the bucket, and one or two in the mouth. Seems like it takes a long time to fill a bucket. This is a good way to enjoy the fresh berries and isn't too hard or expensive. You can replace about half the sugar with SplendaŽ in the crust if you want.

Fresh Strawberry Pizza

Crust:
1/2 lb butter or marg
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Topping:
8 oz. package cream cheese - room temp
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons sugar
2 qts fresh strawberries
Slivered, roasted almonds, opt.

Crust
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy; add the egg, baking powder, salt and flavorings till mixture is smooth; add flour and mix till it is a smooth dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick round. Place on a greased 12 inch pizza pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until crust is a light brown. Cool completely.

Topping
Puree enough strawberries to make 1/4 cup puree. Combine cream cheese, honey, puree and sugar until smooth. Spread evenly over the cooled cookie crust, to within a 1/2" of the border. Place whole strawberries around the outside border and use sliced berries to fill in the middle of the pizza.

Glaze:
1 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon water

Combine honey and water and brush over the top of finished pizza. Sprinkle top with slivered almonds. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.