Airplanes- Homemade toys

These are here today and gone tomorrow, often literally.

What are they?

Well they are the trays that produce and meat come on.

The rest is self explanatory. You simply cut out like those little planes from the Dollar Tree!

This is one I cut out just to show you, but my bigger kids could probably out-cut me!

(*Caution: Not for small children who could bite this off and choke!)

FOR MORE KITCHEN TIPS, VISIT: TAMMY'S RECIPES!!

2 Layer Frozen Pudding Pop

My kids often get excited when they see me getting the cups out. They never know what kind of 'pop' they are going to get! I have found that pops are a frugal way to make an after dinner (and/or lunch) sweet-treat.

*****

You can also make "Fudgsicles" with the following recipe.

3 T flour

4 cups milk

1 1/3 Cup sugar

3 1/2 T cocoa

Stir over medium heat and boil one minute. Pour into cups and freeze.

******

I use empty yogurt containers and whatever I have on hand to make our pops. Every now and then I will catch a good sale and have a coupon for fancy little cups but most of the time I use whatever is handy.

Oreo Cake

Guess you can tell by now that this cook has a sweet tooth? Oh, but not just a sweet tooth, hers is a chocolate sweet tooth!

*I picked this out of a magazine - who knows which one.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (18 oz) devil's food cake mix

1 pkg (3.9) instant chocolate pudding

3 eggs

1/2 cup canola oil

10 creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos), coarsely chopped, 1 cup (I likely used a Save-alot brand)

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips ( I used regular)

1/2 cup butter at room temp

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1-2 Tbsp milk

2 cans frosting

Additional cookies, optional

DIRECTIONS:

-Preheat oven to 350. Coat 2 (round or square) 9" pans.

-At low speed, beat cake mix, pudding mix, 1 cup water, eggs, and oil for 30 seconds.

-Increase speed to medium-high; beat 2 minutes.

-Reduce speed to low; beat chopped cookies and chips into batter.

-Divide batter between two pans.

-Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

-Cool 20 minutes.

-Remove from pans; cool completely on rack. (Very important that it cools completely-filling will melt and make a mess if the cake is not cool!)

FOR FILLING:

At medium speed beat butter until smooth. Reduce speed to low.

Beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until well combined. (Will be thick at this point)

Beat in milk, 1Tbsp at a time until smooth and fluffy.

Place 1 (completely cool) cake layer on serving plate; evenly spread with filling.

Place remaining cake layer over filling, top side up.

**Ice cake with chocolate frosting and garnish with extra cookies, as desired.

Bologna Cups- frugal lunch

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To make the bologna cups:

1. Heat oven to 375.

2. Spray muffin cups with non-stick. (However many you are going to make.)

3. You can heat the bologna in a small non-stick fry pan (or microwave until warm and pliable), just until the form a bowl shape, or just tuck them into the muffin tins. It is easier if you heat them but if I am pushed for time, I sometimes just wrestle them in.

4. Break egg into the center of each bologna 'cup'.

5. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and/or paprika.

6. Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes.

We also do this the same way with (turkey)bacon:

Apples from the Orchard Cake

We bought 2 bushels of apples last year so I had to dig for lots of apple recipes. This is one that could become a favorite!

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour (I used fresh wheat)

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup of oil or butter (if you are going lowfat, you can use applesauce here but its not as rich;)

4-5 small apples, cubed

1 cup pecans

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

*******

Grease pan (may use 9x13 or even a Bundt). Preheat oven to 350.

Mix eggs and oil, add other ingredients.

Bake 1 hour. Let cool. (Remove from pan if using Bundt.)

ICING:

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup margarine

1 teaspoon vanilla

******

Mix all ingredients together. Cook over medium heat, bringing to a boil. Cook 2 to 3 minutes after boil is reached. Pour over cake. (Make sure you use a big enough plate if using Bundt!)

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For more In Season Apple Recipes, visit Tammy's Recipes HERE!

Click HERE to see my Dried Candied Apples. *Be sure to read and follow the tips!

Another Frugal/Pantry Chicken Dinner

Sauteed squash with onions and peppers along with a scratched up dish.

I breaded and pan-fried some chicken pieces. (Approx. 2lbs chicken cut into pieces.)

Whipped up some wild rice.

Then made some mushroom gravy. (Saute a cup of sliced mushrooms in a TB of light butter or marg.for 3 to 5 minutes. In a bowl, whisk 1 cup of chicken broth along with 2T of plain flour and 1/8 t of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour into the mushrooms and heat until thickened.)Wonderful!

Meal Cost Approx.$6.50 Fed 8 (big portions!) (4 could eat this meal for $3.25)

SIMMERING JARS-a frugal gift!

A PERFECT FRUGAL GIFT! On one side is a label wishing them a Merry Christmas and on the other is the directions; pour in a pot and simmer on the stove and return to the jar when cool; refrigerate. The jars were on sale at Hobby Lobby, they can also be bought at WalMart for a little more($1.97). The limes were bought for .10, the orange for .30, the lemon for 25, cloves (cheaply at Save-a-lot, forgot the price), cinnamon sticks (bought a whole bag for less than a $1 back in the summer, cheap at Save-a-lot too, maybe at health food store too) .10, fresh rosemary (that's a little pricey but you could use an herb of choice, perhaps one grown in your own kitchen!) .75, then covered in cold water. Each jar total about $3 for me. (*this idea came from another blogger originally(forgive me, I forgot which one), my DH added the label idea) TIP: to lower cost even more, use leftover food jars, such as marshmallow cream jars.

Quick Apple Fritters

My idea of a low-fat Apple Fritter! Very quick and easy! Use low-fat crescents(on sale and with a coupon of course), cooked apples (one can on sale or make your own!), and a square of white bark(melted) or powdered sugar with a spoon of milk-blended well. Separate crescents and lay flat on pan. Spoon apples on top and roll up the three corners, slightly. Bake as per can instructions. (Optional:Sprinkle with cinnamon.) Drizzle icing on top. (Tip: Put the icing in a baggie and barely snip the corner.)Bake on upper rack (3rd?). (TIP- place a piece of foil on lower rack to keep bottoms from browning too quickly.)Makes 8. (Cost was less than $2)

Lowfat Mini Cheesecake

*12 ginger cookies

*4 ounces of fat-free cream cheese, softened

*1/2 cup fat-free condensed milk

*1 egg

*1 T vanilla

*1 T lemon zest

Preheat oven to 325. Place paper or foil cups into a 12 muffin tin. Put one cookie into the bottom of each muffin liner.

Place cream cheese and condensed milk into a medium bowl and mix with an electric mixer. Add egg, vanilla, and lemon zest; mix until smooth.

Divide the mixture into the 12 cups, approx. 3 T per cup.

Bake 15-18 minutes until set. Allow to cool. Top with a few berries. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

PRIZE BOX

This is the goodies from our prize box. They are various items found on sale or at the Dollar Tree when I have a few extra$$. I began using this box as an incentive for various 'reports' and extra homeschool assignments. It now has become a reward box for 'acts of kindness' or 'extra jobs'. Perhaps this idea could benefit your home in some way. There are all sorts of ways to stock it too. Yard sales, letting grandma in on the fun, keeping free items from various places, etc. I try to find items that have multiples inside such as a pack of cool pens or a pack of 3 bubble bottles. Use your imagination too moms!

Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

BASIC WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

Soften 1/2 tbsp yeast in 1/2 cup warm water

(Let stand ten minutes.)

ADD:

2 cups of warm water (potato water if available)

1/4 cup honey (natural preservative!)

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tsp.-1Tbsp. salt

2 t. gluten if desired

7 cups of whole wheat flour

Mix in 1/2 the flour and let sit for 20 minutes or so, then stir in rest of flour.

Turn out onto floured board and kneed about 10 minutes, until elastic. Dough should be firm. Cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down. Let rise until doubled again. Shape into 2 loaves and place in oil sprayed pans. Let rise until double. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or 400 for 10 mins. and 375 for 20 mins. 

***Note: Total rising time will be about 8 or 9 hours so start this one early in the morning for bread in the evening! 
Happy baking!

Sock Puppets

Moms, this is a few minutes of work for you, but it will keep your little sweethearts playing for quite sometime when you are done and make a great memory for them as well! ****We keep our old socks and lost-mate socks in a basket, sometimes we'll darn the holes and this is what we did one day..........

We used cardboard for the mouths. We cut out an oval and bent it in the middle for the mouths and we stapled it to the socks. (You should attach another way for littler hands or cover the staples with tape so they won't scratch!) I then let them pick their own eyes from my button box. (Waring: choking potential, use caution for little peeps!) For the boy sock, we added an army hat from one of our big army guys. For the girl sock, I sewed in some hair (yarn). You can see where I looped some bangs and pony tails, but you could tie it altogether and glue it on. (All items were things that were around the house so there was no real $$ to make these little guys and these 2 had a blast with them. My big kids wanted some too when they saw all the fun!)

Bean Dolls

These little babies were made in a snap!

I simply cut out a pattern shaped in a similar fashion as to a gingerbread man.

I let the bigger kids trace them onto fabric and cut them out.

I then sewed two together and left an opening, turned right side out, filled with beans (I have a barrel of some that are old and remain quite hard even after cooking forever), sewed the opening and let the kids do the rest with markers. What fun! Cost: near nothing!

ISRAELI DOUGHNUTS

THIS WAS ALL THAT WAS LEFT TO GET A PICTURE OF! THEY ATE THEM AS FAST AS I COULD PREPARE THEM...

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 c. (12oz) sour cream

2 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 c. vegetable oil (for frying)

1 c. powdered sugar (for coating doughnuts)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a mixing bowl, add each ingredient (except oil and powdered sugar) one at a time, mixing well after each addition. The batter will be very soft.

2. In a deep skillet, heat oil until hot enough to fry a 1-inch cube of bread in 1 minute. Carefully place dough, 1 tablespoon at a time, into oil. Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, 3 to 5 minutes, or until golden brown on all sides. Remove from oil with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

3. When all doughnuts are fried, pour powdered sugar into a plastic or brown paper bag. Add a few doughnuts at a time, close bag, and shake gently, until well coated. Repeat until all doughnuts are coated with sugar. Serve warm.

***TIPS: This dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to use. ***

(Always use caution with hot grease! Keep away from precious little hands!)

Yogurt Juice Pops

FROZEN YOGURT JUICE POPS: take plastic or paper cups, or whatever is handy.....at bedtime, pour 1/4 full of favorite JUICE (this is a great way to get cranberry in)place in freezer.... In the morning, once the juice is frozen, blend approx 8oz of PLAIN YOGURT and one can of drained CRUSHED PINEAPPLE along with about 1/2 cup of sugar and pour over frozen juice. These are usually set after lunch and are great for an afternoon snack. It's got yogurt, juice, and fruit! Makes about 6!

Acorn Squash-- what a treat!

This is a cinch and so good!

Wash and slice open the squash, scoop out the seeds, place a slice (or 2) of butter in the center along with 2 T brown sugar and several pecans. Bake at 350, in a baking dish with a little water, for about 50 minutes until the squash is soft, test with fork.

Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Some say whole wheat is yucky.........do these look yucky to you?

I sent these to a friend of mine who said they tasted like O'Charley's rolls. I haven't tried O'Charley's so you'll have to take her word for it but may I encourage you to try homemade wheat rolls? They are melt in your mouth delicious!

WHEAT BREAD RECIPE FOR BREAD MACHINE OR ROLLS:
1 AND1/4 CUP OF WARMED MILK
3tsp fat (butter, tallow, etc)
 2 CUPS FRESH WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
1 CUP BREAD FLOUR
1TBS BROWN SUGAR
SLIGHTLY LESS THAN 1tsp SALT
 1tsp YEAST

......THE CYCLE I USE IS ABOUT 3HOURS AND 40 MINUTES IF I MAKE A LOAF. THIS IS ALSO VERY GOOD TO RUN ON YOUR 'DOUGH' CYCLE AND ROLL OUT INTO ROLLS!

Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Dark Rye Bread

I mentioned this in the article about grains and I just wanted to show you how yummy it looks! Rye bread can be good ----for those of you who don't like those little seeds!

Tarragon Turkey Loaf with Mushroom Sauce

Yummy! Turkey Loaf with Mushroom gravy, served up with peas and carrots, brussel sprouts, and 8-grain muffins. This meal is past great!

TURKEY TARROGON LOAF

2teaspoons margarine

1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped

1 large stalk celery, chopped fine

1 pound ground turkey

1/3 cup of chopped parsley (or 1 1/2 T dried)

1/4 cup fine bread crumbs

1/4 cup skim milk

1 large egg white

1/2 Teaspoon dried tarragon

1/4 teaspoon each of black pepper and nutmeg (yes!)

***FOR THE MUSHROOM SAUCE***

2 teaspoons margarine

1 cup chopped mushrooms

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken broth

1/8 teaspoon each ground nutmeg, salt, black pepper, and dried tarragon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350. In a heavy nonstick skillet or saucepan, melt the margarine over moderate heat; add the onion and celery, and cook, uncovered, until the onion is soft--about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the turkey, parsley, bread crumbs, milk, egg white, tarragon, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the onion and celery and mix well.

3. Lightly coat a loaf pan with cooking spray. Press the turkey mixture into the pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Using 2 spatulas, transfer loaf to a heated platter. (I ladled the mushroom sauce over individual servings.)

4. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In the same skillet or a saucepan, melt the margarine over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Remove from the heat and blend in the flour, chicken broth, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and tarragon; return to the heat and cook about 5 minutes, stirring, until thick.

6. Ladle some sauce over the loaf and serve the rest at the table if you like. ( I ladled over each serving.) SERVES 4.

NOTES: I double the recipe and cook in a bigger dish or 2 loaf pans.

TIPS: I have come to love this sauce so much that I have used it in other recipes, without the tarragon usually. I made a chicken and noodle dish with this sauce that was delicious. And yes, my kids even like it!

Millet for Breakfast

My favorite way to cook millet is to bring 3 cups of water ( and 1/4 t or so, of salt) to a rapid boil. Toss in 1 cup of millet and allow it to sit overnight. 
In the morning, I just toss in a little milk or water and a few tablespoons of butter and reheat.
We sweeten with cane sugar, honey, or maple syrup.

Millet is easy to cook and has a mild taste. I think it's like a cross between grits and rice.
You can also use it for savory dishes (like rice, bulgar, barley, or other grains) or in soups.
Click here to have a look at it's nutritional content.

You can allow it to soak overnight. Millet cooks quicker that way, but even if you don't soak overnight, it still cooks in about 25 minutes.

For a less fluffy and more textured grain, use 1 cup grain to 2 cups water.

My kids beg to do this.......

This is "MOPPING THE FLOOR" at my house! LOL!
Yes, my kids beg to clean the kitchen floor!!!!!!!
They have the best time! First they take mildly soapy washcloths and 'wash' the floor (wet the floor down!) . Then they slip and slide (probably getting up any leftover dirt, hee hee hee!). They slide and spin until we are all laughing. The upside: the floor is quite a bit cleaner! The downside: they usually need a bath afterwards or at least a dry set of clothes but usually, I don't get that lucky because they are a bit soapy. ...............Is this 'permissive parenting'? Why say no if you don't have to? Work and fun are good!
(I saw a floor mopping post at http://tammysrecipes.com/ and wanted to show off our floor mopping skills!)

Smuggling in the Grains & Upping the Fiber

SMUGGLING IN GRAINS? SHHHHHHHHHHH! If you don't tell them, they won't know!

This is one area where I have a lot fun! Sometimes when I am making out menus, I take time to see where I can smuggle in extra grains, especially if I have ran out of wheat for bread or simply know that I won't have time to make it.

*OATS- oh the places you can smuggle these in! You can put quick oats in just about anything! Meatloaves, meat patties(including turkey and beef), muffins, cookies, and you can even grind them into flour and use them with white flour for almost anything and no one will ever know! (Or you can use them in the place of white flour on some occasions if ground very fine.) Oat groats can be cooked and put in soups, tossed in salads, used in casseroles, blah blah.

*BARLEY- a great fiber grain! One serving has like 7 grams! Barley can be cooked and tossed

into soups, over salads, in casseroles, or sweetened just like rice for breakfast. It can be ground and used as flour in breads, biscuits, muffins, etc. (Warning: this grain is so high in fiber that it can cause some tummy trouble, go easy!)

*BROWN RICE- can be used as the 2 above. I used some the other day in my Sloppy Jo Biscuit Cups and called it Sloppy Jo Hash. I never purchase white rice, brown is now always used in every dish. It does have to cook longer so I cook a big batch and freeze extras for the next round. I also use it to make Spanish Rice, by simply tossing in a cup of salsa!

*Rye- I have not had much luck in being able to find fresh rye around here and have bought the flour a couple of times at the Mennonite General Store when I could. I have found it to make wonderful bread and you don't have to use caraway seeds if you don't like them! And dark rye homemade bread...mmm, just the thought makes me smile!

*FLAX- I know its a seed but since this also deals with fiber, I included this jewel! I have grown very fond of this little seed over the past year or so. I have found a place to buy them very cheap. I grind them in my little coffee bean grinder and keep them in a Ziploc in the fridge and put them in almost everything that I can. I make marshmallow treats with Cheerios or a Bran cereal and I sprinkle in a tablespoon or two ( I recommend using a heaping spoon of peanut butter in the butter and marshmallows to help you hide it when you use it!). I have put a few sprinkles in the meatloaf, a few sprinkles on oatmeal, some use it in smoothies, in every muffin that I make, in my homemade granola, in my fruit crisp topping, etc. It does have a strong taste and it is high in fiber so go easy or you won't get by with this one! Also, I have read that it needs to be ground for the most nutritional benefits!

*MILLET- probably a little favored around here. This grain is not very high in fiber, but from what I have read, is a great source for other goodies that we need. I have found it to be a great starter cereal for babies as it can be cooked up soft and fruit such as applesauce and bananas can be easily added. It has a mild flavor and can be found for a great price. I have found it for .50 a pound! I highly recommend it! My kids love it flavored like rice with butter and sugar or sweetened with honey with a little vanilla added.

******I'll post more on this when I can!

GRAINS AND BEANS- tips

Frugal tips!:::: Grains and beans are a great, healthy, and inexpensive food source to work into your menu. You can buy bulk beans(20lbs or so) for about as much as you can buy a sack of burgers, if you check around for a good source. You folks back home can probably order things like this from one of the markets down in Collegedale. That town is a 7th Day Adventists community and their grocery store is really a health food store. A wonderful place to go!..... Many grains can be bought for pennies even at your local grocery store. (Sometimes you can make requests!-Look at the store's web site. Kroger has a place on their site where you can request certain items.) The trick to buying at a good price at a local store is to be careful which department you buy it from. For example, in the health food section of the store, you can buy a one pound bag of organic, name brand barley for about $5 or $6, HOWEVER, if you look where the rice and beans are sold and/or oriental items -you can find it for .59 cents for a one pound bag! YEAH! .... Millet is sold at a high price in the local store too. ($5-$6 a pound) BUT- I found it at Muddy Pond (Mennonite Community) for about a dollar a pound. Millet is a wonderful grain! Many health food experts recommend it because of the high nutritional value. It is also a mild grain for kids too-- by that I mean that it doesn't have a real high fiber content so it's easy on the tummy for even babies. ....Brown rice is another inexpensive grain that can be easily worked into your menu. It's great to add to casseroles and soups as a 'filler'. (Fills you up, stretches the dish even further, etc.)Beans are also a great addition to your soups and main dishes. Examples: add leftover pinto beans (or chili beans)to your Mexican dishes or your taco meat. Add your leftover beans to hamburger soup or vegetable soups. Several times I have snuck leftover refried beans into meatloaf! (shhh!!!) Gather recipes to incorporate more beans and make big batches and use them in dishes for days. Example: white beans and cornbread and potatoes etc. one night, make baked beans the next night, and white chicken chili the next. Freeze any leftovers for a quick side dish for lunch. ...There are many websites with frugal recipes and recipes with simple ingredients. Be creative- and healthy!

Homemade Beefaroni

This dish is easy, inexpensive, and very good! It might just become a staple dish! (And yes, kids love it!)

*1 pound of ground beef

*1/3 cup chopped red (or green) bell pepper

*2/3 cup chopped celery

*1 can of diced tomatoes (I used a can that had Italian seasonings)

*1 tsp salt

* 2- 8 oz cans of tomato sauce

*1 package of dry onion soup

*1 tsp dry parsley

*2 bay leaves

*3 cups of cooked noodles- a minute of so shy of cooking time (You can see that I used the spiral wheat; I caught these on sale and got a double coupon deal and bought these yummy treats for just a few shiny coins!)

******

Break up and brown ground beef. Drain grease and add bell pepper, celery, tomatoes, tomato sauce, dry onion soup, parsley, bay leaves, and salt. Simmer 15 minutes. Add cooked noodles and simmer for a couple more minutes. Serve with sides or as main course with salad. Total cost was approx $3.50 and made 10 servings (with sides!).

Kids Plate from the "Homemade Beefaroni" Post

Please see "Homemade Beefaroni" for the recipe.

This lunch is kid and mom friendly! It has whole wheat noodles and several veggies in the main dish. Baby carrots with homemade yogurt dip and lightly grilled bread are the sides and for dessert and drink; applesauce and a fruit and yogurt smoothie. (Smoothie has strawberries, kiwi, and banana blended with homemade yogurt, a small amount of milk and sugar, and ice.) The meal serves 10 and the cost was approx. $7!

A Quick and Healthy Snack!

Yes! --Kids can eat a healthy snack and like it! My kids like to eat healthy foods, yes sometimes they complain but usually a taste test can win them over.

This picture is of one example where that worked!............................

I wrote in another post about making homemade yogurt and getting sales on peanut butter. This dip for apples was a result of some playing around in the kitchen!

The rice cakes were bought on sale with a coupon. They are made of whole grain brown rice and have a small amount of chocolate and peanut butter in them but are low-fat and calorie.

**********For about a dollar or so, here's a whole grain serving, a little dairy, a little protein, and a fruit! (For 6 kiddy-winkies!)

Chili Cheese Fries-another frugal and healthy lunch plate

Another frugal lunch whipped up at my house!----Last night a batch of chili was made for homemade "5-Ways"; today more seasoning and more beans were added to stretch the chili for lunch. Fries were quickly cooked in the over (.50 a bag), onions (maybe .10 worth- I can usually buy 3lbs for a buck), and the cheese (about $1 worth was used). The veggies; broccoli was on sale and had a coupon for this brand (.50), the carrots (2 lbs were bought at 1.30 and about 3 were used -maybe .2o), the corn tortilla chips (99 a bag and used 1/2 bag so .50), and the salsa was my leftover from my homemade batch the other night and the cost of it was calculated at that time. Meal cost total $3.50? Served 8!

Chicken Noodle Soup-the pantry and fridge way

Lunch is served!--Hot and yummy soup but shhhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone around here that a lot of it was from leftovers!

I had leftover noodles from a night or two ago that was stored in an airtight container in the fridge. (Whole wheat noodles by the way!--and bought on sale for about .30!)

The onions were in my chopped onion bucket that I keep in the fridge for my DH when he occasionally fixes his own omelet in the morning. When they start to get old, I use them up and replace them with fresh ones!

My broth was from a whole chicken that I cooked months ago. I kept the broth in the freezer in a Ziploc bag.

I also threw in some leftover barley and brown rice--again SHHHHHHHHH, I don't think anyone even noticed that they were there!

Now I must confess, the chicken was not leftover, however I did catch a good sale so this soup has quite a bit in it but if you are one of those who has some leftover chicken stored--use it in the soup!

I sliced some carrots and celery sticks up too. I added a couple of bouillon cubes and a dash or thyme and some other herbs.

I whipped up some pumpkin rolls with some leftover Thanksgiving pumpkin that I bought for pennies nearly.

The whole meal- maybe $2 or $3 and feeds about 10 with enough rolls for the next two meals!

Quick and Easy Biscuit- Rolls

These are light and fluffy, and a lot like a biscuit and a little like a roll. The ingredients are shocking but once you try them, you will be hooked. I usually serve them up with dinner but they could be used at breakfast too!

*2 cups of self-rising flour

*1 cup of milk

*1/2 cup of mayonnaise

Mix and pour into greased muffin pan.

Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes until golden. Makes 12.

Tips: 
*As you may have noticed, some brands of mayo are sweet and some are more to the sour side. Either works well with these however, the sweeter brands create more of a biscuit taste. Try with honey sometime! 

*These are very economical and can be more so by less expensive mayo!
*I often try cheap mayo or on sale mayo- and end up with mayo we won't eat- this is where it always goes.

Mexican or American Bean and Rice Dish

This dish is super easy, super quick, and versatile!

It has simple ingredients that can be put together pretty quickly in the following order.

3 to 4 cups Cooked brown rice (white could be used)

3 cans of chili beans with small amount of liquid (other beans could be used)

1 can of diced tomatoes, slightly drained (could use the ones seasoned with garlic, basil, and oregano if using a plain bean)

5 or 6 green onions, chopped (or purple onion or whatever you have on hand but green is super good!)

1 can or 1/2 bag of frozen corn

Top with 1/2 batch of thick cornbread and sprinkle with cheddar cheese if you like.

Bake for 25 mins or more on lower rack, in 9x13!

****(This recipe was from the net and I have adjusted some things to suit my family. Adjustments can suit it to your family and your budget as well. Leftovers and garden veggies can lower the cost. I made this for about $4! TIP: Use very little liquid!!!)

Homemade Salsa

This big bowl can be made for the price of one 16oz jar of store-bought salsa and makes more than twice as much!

I used one can of Rotel (bought on sale with a coupon!).

1 can of diced tomatoes

a couple of dashes of lime juice

a few sprinkles of cilantro

a few dashes of ground cumin

one small onion

Sent it on a whirl in the processor and topped with one chopped green onion you see on top.

Cost; about a buck!

(*Can be made less spicy by using 2 cans of diced tomatoes and 1 tablespoon of canned chilies.)

What's in that freezer bag? -future bread crumbs!

I keep a bag in the freezer with leftover store-bought bread- dried out or end pieces, etc. Since I usually shop only once-a-month, I use most of my store bread up within the first week, so I often would find myself in a panic when I needed bread crumbs for a recipe at the end of the month. This was my simple solution to the problem! When I need crumbs , I simply pull out a few pieces and give them a whirl in my mini-food processor.

Leftover Remade Soup

This soup was a 'remake' from leftover Vegetable Beef and Barley. I added more tomato juice and another batch of frozen veggies from my freezer bucket and about a cup full of leftover whole wheat noodles. (And a few more seasonings!) I then grilled some leftover bread store buns and kept them on the the plate warmer. The yellow stuff you see on the plate is spaghetti squash with a little butter and Parmesan cheese. The bright red 'pop' was frozen raspberry jello.

An easy fun meal for just a couple of bucks--and pretty healthy!

(More info on 'remakes': The original soup was more beefy and the broth was more brown with barley, but today it was turned into a more tomato-vegetable and noodle soup and a little different taste with a dash or two of seasonings.)

A frugal tip about food storage

Why toss out what you can recycle into something that can save you even more?!

These are whipped cream, butter, margarine, yogurt, shortening, and other containers.

I have thought of them as 'free' money savers.

***The big containers sit in my freezer waiting on leftover veggies to toss into the next batch of soup. Sometimes they sit on the counter with homemade candy or cookies.

***The medium size containers hold leftover brown rice or barley and sometimes dabs of beans to toss into soups or chili. Sometimes, I keep some leftover noodles and toss them into a soup!

***The small containers are often used for portion size leftovers, or recipes for dips- for veggies and fruits for the kids.

**Some are kept for the kids to play with. Toddlers and even older children love to play and stack them and try to match the right lids. (I sometimes keep a box in the laundry room and toss things like this in there, along with empty salt boxes, jello boxes, oatmeal cans, empty drink containers, etc. and let the little pepps play "kitchen" or "store".)

**Sometimes they are used to send a little leftovers to friends and they can just toss out the container when they are done.

PLEASE CHECK OUT THE FOLLOWING SITE FOR GREAT RECIPES AND TIPS!!

Congrats on the beautiful new baby Tammy! Love your site!

http://tammysrecipes.com/taxonomy/term/53

Vegetable Beef -n- Barley

Round steak on sale made this dish even better.
I simply cubed it; cut up onions, celery, peppers, potatoes;
tossed in Worcestershire sauce, 2 herb bouillon cubes, 1 beef bouillon cube, and  tomato juice.
Simmered, covered until meat seem to tender up.
Then I threw in veggies from my 'leftovers bucket' in the freezer, and a cup and a 1/2 of barley.

*With my leftover cooked barley, I made the little barley cakes by simply adding some stone ground cornmeal, an egg, buttermilk, and self-rising flour with a couple of dashes of onion powder.

*This made enough to feed 8 lunch for two days, for about seven bucks!-and it is very meaty!

Tips for Soup

Soup is one of the most frugal things to make when you are on a tight budget.
Here are some helpful hints to keep the cost of soup down.


*Keep a container in the freezer for leftover veggies.(corn, green beans, spinach,carrots, peas, etc.)

*Keep a container in the freezer to dump leftover beans for a chili. (And tomatoes and sauce.)

*Create new soups by keeping a taste 'theme', such as Italian, Mexican, etc.

*Puree some of those veggies that you want to 'hide'.

*Use inexpensive meat such as hamburger, round steak, the small (TURKEY) Jennie-O hams (on sale), etc.

***************MY FAVORITE TIP: REMAKE!**************************
*Make big pots full and change daily to make a 'new soup' . (Example: we have pinto beans one night for supper with cornbread and other fixings. The next day for lunch it is a side instead of a main dish. The third day it becomes chili served with crackers for supper. The fourth day it is served for lunch over corn chips with cheese and onions. The fifth day, it is stretched for the last time by adding more tomato sauce, more chili powder, and sliced turkey hot dogs. Another example: vegetable soup today becomes vegetable bean soup tomorrow, then vegetable beef soup the next day with ground beef added. If it lasts a fourth day, it then becomes Veggie-Beef-n-Noodle.)

*Vegetable soup can make a great baby food. Puree leftovers in a blender and freeze in ice trays; once frozen, store in freezer bags and thaw as needed.

*Save leftover pasta from supper for soup tomorrow.

*Save leftover rice, barley and other grains to use in soups in the place of pasta.

*Keep onion soup mix handy as well as bouillon cubes.

*Chop up veggies at breakfast, toss in a crockpot with a can of tomato juice and have vegetable soup for lunch.

*Serve cornbread muffins or rolls with your soups to fill up those with bigger appetites. (You would be surprised how good cornbread is with almost all soups!)

*Use those super cheap bags of pasta to add excitement for kids that get a little bummed out about soup. Some stores have ABC pasta for .25 cents a bag!

*Use a bay leaf! I know that sounds really simple but little bay leaves can add a big flavor!

*Make your own noodles for soup!

*Store leftover chicken and/or turkey in small containers or freezer bags to pitch in the soup.

*Keep cornstarch handy to thicken some of your soups. (You can blend a tablespoon or two in a small cup of cold water, broth, or milk and add to your soup and heat until thickened.)

*Shredded potatoes added to soups can really make it 'filling'!

*Consider garnishing your soup to make it look really pretty once its in the serving bowl. (Paprika, shredded cheese, parsley, salsa, etc.)

FOR MORE GREAT TIPS, VISIT: http://tammysrecipes.com/

Fun for Pre-K's

PRESCHOOL FUN: Here are a few fun ideas to keep little ones busy and learning! ………..

1) 2 plastic bowls, 2 cups of flour, ¼ cup of dried beans, a flour sifter (optional) Little one’s will have lots of fun and build their fine motor skills; sifting and digging for the beans.

2) Colored construction paper, a cup of water for each child, a paintbrush for each child. “Painting” will keep them busy without the mess of paint!

3) A good sized cardboard box; collect empty plastic containers and lids of various sizes from yogurts, sour cream, etc. Pull the box out and simply let them play every few days. They’ll have more with these than a toy!

4) Use small Ziploc bags for various items. (Beware of choking hazards for toddlers!) One for popcorn, one for beans, one for packing peanuts, one for stale fruit loops or cheerios, one for various noodles, etc. Use these for counting or grouping objects to teach numbers. (Some math experts teach counting; others teach to show two objects is=2, show five small objects is= 5, and not count but recognize.) You can also use the same objects for a picture collage.

(flowers picked for Sissy by big brothers in the field behind our house)

RED BEANS AND RICE

RED BEANS AND RICE:

Ingredients:

1 cup of finely chopped celery and tops

1/2 cup of finely chopped green pepper

1 cup of chopped onion

2 T of minced garlic

1 bag of red beans (soaked in water overnight)

freshly ground pepper

Simmer until beans become tender then add diagonally sliced polish turkey sausage or cubed turkey ham (You can often find Jennie-O brand cheap--I can usually get 2 or 3 meals our of one of those!) This is good without any meat too!

Serve over brown rice.

Total Cost:

veggies:.70

beans: $1

meat: $1 (optional)

brown rice: .50

Total cost to stuff 8: $3.20, without meat; $2.20 or less if you grow your own veggies and/or buy your beans and rice in bulk.

FROZEN YOGURT JUICE POPS

FROZEN YOGURT JUICE POPS: take plastic or paper cups, or whatever is handy.....at bedtime, pour 1/4 full of favorite JUICE (this is a great way to get cranberry in)place in freezer.... In the morning, once the juice is frozen, blend approx 8oz of PLAIN YOGURT and one can of drained CRUSHED PINEAPPLE along with about 1/2 cup of sugar and pour over frozen juice. These are usually set after lunch and are great for an afternoon snack. It's got yogurt, juice, and fruit! Makes about 6!

HONEY BUN CAKE

HONEY BUN CAKE: 1 BOX OF YELLOW CAKE MIX, 3/4 CUP OIL, 4 EGGS, 1(8OZ) SOUR CREAM----mix well and pour half mixture into 9x13 greased pan---MIX 1 CUP BROWN SUGAR AND 2TSP CINNAMON ---mix together and pour over mixture in pan then pour rest of cake mixture in pan BAKE AT 325 DEGREES FOR 35-40 MINUTES. ---------- ICING: 1AND1/2 CUPS POWDERED SUGAR, 6TBSP MILK, 1TSP VANILLA---- mix together and pour on cake while warm...... YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!

Iron In Cereal?

Do you see that black line of stuff about the blue arrow? That's the iron from one serving of Total cereal! HOW DO YOU DO IT? Dissolve a cup of cereal in about 2 cups of water. (This may take overnight to totally break down the Total!) Use a strong magnet and place in left hand and lay the bag over it. Swirl the bag around for about a minute, then rest for several seconds and flip the bag, leaving the magnet on top. There ya go! The iron!

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

1 cup of Total or other (very) fortified cereal

2 cups of water

1 ziploc bag

1 strong magnet

Another Homemade Skirt

This simple skirt is one of Kayanna's favorites! It's a really pretty tie-died print.
The cost of the skirt was only a little time. The fabric was free from my bartering friend who loves my cooking and picks up fabrics and things from yard sales in exchange for my cooking! Imagine that!?! A blessing indeed!

Pizza Bread

A kid's kind of lunch! Homemade pizza bread and a spinach salad. And see that little paper cup at the top-left?.....That's our version of a popsicle. (See popsicles for more details.)The cost of this lunch is about 4 or 5 bucks to stuff 8 people!

Pops

This is our version of a Popsicle! We take little paper cups or empty yogurt cups and fill them with all kinds of neat stuff. This one is strawberry nectar with halved grapes-yummy!-and healthy! Total cost for 6 of them with these ingredients: .60! And loaded with vitamin C!

Kraut and Polish Sausage and Oven Potatoes

This meal is really easy!

Heat sausage in non-stick fry pan, then cover with canned kraut and heat. Toss the potatoes in olive oil and dry onion soup mix or seasonings of your choice and bake in a covered dish on 400 for about 45 minutes.

I got the polish sausage for .50 on a clearance.

The Kraut cost about 1.75.

The potatoes, 50lbs for $6.99 so maybe .50.

Total meal: $2.75 and I even had enough to send to my bartering friend!

Bread Store Goodies

Bread Stores are a great place to go to get the cheapest deals on bread! I can buy 3 loaves of whole grain bread for $1.79. I also get giant buns for $1.49 for about 20-24 (I forget exactly how many is in the flat). Those are what I use for pizza bread, you can see them under 'frugal lunches'. They also have deals on other products sometimes. It's worth checking out your local bread store! Once I got there right at closing and the lady gave me the next day's discounted prices since they would be a day older the following morning anyway! ........Once I get it home, I try to decide how to use a bulk of it right away. The rest is frozen for future use. I must say that once frozen, it doesn't make for the best of sandwiches; the bread seems to dry out a bit. So, I must be creative! I keep a ziploc bag in the freezer with ground bread crumbs. I also keep several bags with homemade croutons! It makes for fine grilled cheeses too!

Leftover Bread from the Bread Store

I get exceptionally good deals on bread at the local bread store. This bunch loves it grilled in a little margarine like this. It's not low-fat or real healthy so I don't do it often, but it sure is good and cheap. A bag of regular buns costs me .60 and the margarine was about .07 cents! A great frugal filler! (Could also be toasted in the over; buttered and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.)

A Thoughtful Post about Peanut Butter

Just a note to think on. .................years ago, I attended a baby shower and volunteered to make peanut butter fudge. Pondering whether to use creamy or crunchy, I decided crunchy seemed a little more interesting. Well, come to find out, the expectant mother was allergic to peanuts and could have had the fudge if it had been made with the creamy! *Sometimes asking would be good, huh?Wish I had asked! ;-)

Frugal Fudge

Easy and Cheap!

*1 cup of peanut butter

*1teaspoon vanilla

*2 cups of sugar

*1/2 cup water

Bring water and sugar to a boil. Boil ONE minute and add to peanut butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Blend with a mixer and pour into buttered 8x8 pan. Ready when cool!

Cost: my peanut butter was free (Peter Pan was on sale for $1 and I had a coupon for $1 off)

vanilla and sugar, pennies! So-almost free!

Kyler's Homemade Hat

This hat was made for nearly nothing and even has a liner! Easy project, done in less than an hour!

Kayanna's Homemade Hat

This hat was made from on sale fleece and buttons from bartering! An easy project!