BY SARA NOEL| Oklahoman
DEAR JENELLE: You can add grape jelly to smoothies, yogurt, pancakes, French toast, waffles, cottage cheese, oatmeal, ice cream or muffins. Or add it to cream cheese to top a bagel, cornbread, biscuit or toast. My mom used to add some to leftover pie dough. She'd make thumbprint cookies. You could do similar with a peanut butter cookie recipe for you to enjoy (since your daughter isn't eating peanut butter). Simply roll the dough into a ball, make a imprinter well into the dough, bake as usual and spoon some jelly inside.
DEAR SARA: Can I freeze bagged lettuce? I bought a bag of lettuce on Friday not realizing that its expiration date is tomorrow! Can I freeze it or should I just try to use it up? -- Danni, Ohio
DEAR DANNI: No. Don't freeze it. You can repackage it in a plastic baggie with a paper towel and maybe get an extra couple of days before it goes bad.
DEAR SARA: Any ideas on using up corn tortillas? I have a few packages of corn tortillas that have been given to me. I have used them to make enchiladas. Any other ideas on what I can do with them besides fry them up and make corn chips? -- Imagine, Pennsylvania
DEAR IMAGINE: You can freeze them until you're ready to use them. You can make huevos rancheros, taquitos, fajitas, tacos, cut into strips and add it to chicken soup, enjoy them with chili or in a tortilla casserole.
Tortilla Casserole
1 pound ground beef, drained
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can kernel corn, drained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped (or 15 ounces can diced canned tomatoes)
1/4 cup canned jalapeno slices, chopped
1 (1-1/4 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
8 corn tortillas
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Mexican cheese blend, shredded
Topping options: chopped lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black olives, etc.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 12-by-8-inch (2-quart) baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Brown ground beef and chopped onions in large skillet until ground beef is no longer pink. Drain grease. Return to skillet. Add corn, black beans, tomatoes, jalapenos and taco seasoning mix; mix well. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Cut each tortilla in half; place 8 halves in bottom of sprayed baking dish, overlapping slightly. Spoon half of beef mixture evenly over tortillas. Spoon sour cream over beef mixture; spread evenly. Top with remaining 8 tortilla halves and remaining beef mixture. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle with cheese. Cover; let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with fresh chopped lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, black olives, etc.
Optional: Use lean ground beef and low fat sour cream and cheese.
Makes 6 servings.
Sara Noel is the owner of Frugal Village (www.frugalvillage.com), a Web site that offers practical, money-saving strategies for everyday living. To send tips, comments or questions, write to Sara Noel, c/o United Media, 200 Madison Ave., 4th Floor, New York, NY 10016, or e-mail sara@frugalvillage.com.
Copyright 2010, Sara Noel
Distributed by United Feature Syndicate, Inc.
