Cheddar Bay Biscuits

If you are looking for the perfect, not just a run-of-the-mill biscuit for dinner, look no further. These biscuits are so flavorful and compliment various dishes, including soups, stews and the every day dinner. Cheddar Bay Biscuits are buttery and cheesy with a hint of garlic. Yum!

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

2 ½ cups Bisquick (I use my homemade version)

1 cup milk

4 Tbsp butter; softened

¼ tsp garlic powder

Roughly 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

In a medium bowl cream together the bisquick, garlic powder and softened butter. To this add the milk and cheddar cheese.

Roll dough out on a floured surface. Using a biscuit cutter, cut into biscuits. Place on a greased pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes; or until golden.

While the biscuits are baking melt 2-3 Tbsp of butter. Add ½ tsp parsley and ¼ tsp garlic powder the the melted butter. When the biscuits are finished baking, brush the tops with melted butter mixture and serve immediately.

This post is linked to:

• Tasty Tuesday
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

Menu Plan Week of Jan 24th-30th

I'm finally to the point in this pregnancy where both my energy and appetite have returned. Definitely makes it easier to come up with a menu plan!

Sunday:

• Breakfast: Cereal
• Dinner: Pork Roast.($2) Roasted Potatoes.($1) Roasted Veggies.(.75) Cheddar Biscuits (recipe coming soon!) ($1) ($4.75)(5 servings=.95/ea)

Monday:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal
• Dinner: Chicken Noodle Soup. ($3.50)(8 servings=.44/ea)
  

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Toast with Apple Butter
• Dinner: Warm Layered Sandwich w/olive tapenade ($4.00) Salad. (.50) Parmesan Fries ($1.50)($6)(8 servings=.75/ea)

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal
• Dinner: Pulled Pork Sandwiches ($2.50) Salad.(.50)($3)(5 servings=.60/ea)
  

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, sausage, toast.
• Dinner: Chicken/Black Bean/Onion/Green Pepper Stir Fry Thingy. (got to love that original name!). Served with warm tortillas. ($3.75)(8 servings=.47/ea)

Friday: Pizza/Popcorn/Movie Night

• Breakfast: Oatmeal
• Dinner: Buffalo Bacon Ranch Pizza and a Veggie Lovers ($8)(10 servings=.80/ea)

Saturday:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal
• Dinner: Leftovers
  

Total Cost: $25.50 Average Price Per Serving: .58/ea

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday.

Easy Meatball Recipe

My family loves meatballs, however I forget about how easy and versatile they are. As part of our New Year's Eve snacks, I made meatballs with a homemade barbeque-like sauce. We devoured them! Not only do we like them by themselves, but we also like to serve them on french bread baguettes, as a pizza topping, or in our spaghetti.

You can buy frozen, bagged meatballs or you can easily make your own and freeze them for later use. Having homemade frozen meatballs, exactly how we like them is what we prefer. Not only does the homemade meatballs taste better, but it comes out a lot cheaper in the long run. Especially if you use venison and pulverized homemade croutons in place of the bread crumbs.

Easy Meatballs

1½ to 2 lbs. Hamburger Meat (could also sub in venison)

1½ cups bread crumbs (I used some homemade garlic and paprika croutons & pulverized them in my chopper)

2 eggs

1 medium onion;chopped

Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Add all ingredients into a medium bowl. Using hands, combine thouroughly.

Using a cookie scoop, or hands, form meatballs. Place into a baking dish. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, or until meat is no linger pink. Let cool. You can either use them immediately, or flash freeze for later use.

This post is linked to:

• Recipe Swap
• Tasty Tuesday
• Tempt my Tummy Tuesday
  

Top Ten Posts of 2009

I really enjoy looking back over my posts to see which ones ended up being the top posts. Oftentimes, I am surprised by the results.

Here are the Top Ten Posts for 2009:

1. The Lentil Brown Rice Casserole continues to come in on top. This continues to surprise me. We love this dish, and it continues to be the most frugal dinner dish I've made, not including our free venison.

2. One of my favorite posts, was the first post I did in the Home Management Binder Series.

3. Managing Your Expenses was another post I really enjoyed writing--I could talk finances all day long. :)

4. The hardest post to begin would definitely be this one. The Beginning--which was the beginning of Nicholas' Story.

5. A not so common way of using the bounty of your jalapeno harvest: Jalapeno Jelly

6. This one really shocked me; Menu Plan week of 3/15-3/21 (After looking back, this is when $5 Dinners hosted Menu Plan Monday, and I was #1!)

7. Canning Jalapenos

8. Saving Money On Clothes, where I highlighted some thrift store finds.

9. The second installment of Nicholas's Story.

10. A Whole Wheat Tortilla Tutorial comes in 10th.

BLT Dip

In December my daughter and I attended a Ladies' Tea hosted by our church. We were served all sorts of different appetizers, all of which were delightful. However, one stood out. I had no idea what it was when I placed it on my plate, but I knew instantly when I tasted it.

Photo Source

It was a BLT right in my mouth, only in a dip form. I knew I had to figure out how to make it.

BLT Dip

1 pound bacon; diced and cooked crisp

1 ½ cups mayonaise

1 ½ cups sour cream

2-4 Roma tomatoes; diced

Combine the mayonaise, sour cream and bacon. If desired you can also add in a dash or two of black pepper. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight. Trust me on this one. Generally I'm not patient enough to let things sit, but this really needs to to allow the flavors to mesh. Otherwise it tastes too mayonaise-y. Right before serving stir in the tomatoes.

Serve with crackers or toasted bread. I used a whole loaf of bread and cut the pieces in triangles. Then I toasted them in a 300° oven until toasted.

For added pizzaz and flavor, hollow out a head of iceberg lettuce and use it as a serving bowl. Lettuce is the only thing this dish was missing.

I served this at our family gathering for Christmas, and it was devoured! Even my tomato hating husband couldn't get enough of it.

Linking to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

If you are looking for an easy, flavorful dessert, look no further than Strawberry Cheesecake Bites.


Sunday afternoon our church hosted it's annual Ladies' Tea. I volunteered to bring something along before I knew I would gone the whole day prior. I went shopping with a few friends in the city; we left my house at 6:30 am and arrived back at my house at 2 am! To say I was exhausted would be an understatement.


When Sunday rolled around, I knew I couldn't make the cookies I had planned, and I was going to need something super easy with ingredients I had on hand. On the spot I came up with this dessert, and it ended up being a huge hit!

Strawberry Cheesecake Bites

Phyllo Shells (this isn't something I normally
have, but during a recent sale I picked some up for Christmas appetizers.)

8 oz cream cheese; softened

1 cup powdered sugar

Frozen Strawberries; thawed

In a mixer, cream together the cream cheese and powdered sugar. Spoon in the strawberries to the desired flavor. I didn't measure mine, but if I were to guess, I would say I used probably ¼ cup. Once mixed together completely, spoon or pipe into Phyllo Shells.

For an added touch, garnish with a sliced strawberry.

Makes 30.

This post is linked to:

• Ultimate Recipe Swap: Holiday Food Fest Edition
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday

Menu Plan Week of December 6th-December 12th

I didn't officially have a menu plan last week, and surprisingly we did very well. I found a new favorite soup from The Happy Housewife, Healthy Potato Soup. Even my cooked carrot hating son gobbled it up! This week is our last quiet week, it seems, before the busyness kicks in. I'm hoping we can take advantage of every moment.

Sunday:

• Breakfast:Cinnamon Rolls
  
• Dinner: Bratwurst. ($4) Saurkraut. ($.65)($4.65)(5 servings=.93/ea)

Monday:

• Breakfast: Peanut Butter Oatmeal


• Dinner: Lentil Brown Rice Casserole. ($1.25) Salad. (.50)($1.75)(8 servings=.22/ea)
  

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Bagels/Cream Cheese


• Dinner: Cheeseless Chicken Enchiladas served with sour cream/lettuce. (using hamburger) HM Refried Beans.(.50) HM Spanish Rice. (.50)($6)(8 servings=.75/ea)

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Loaded Breakfast Casserole


• Dinner: Deer Steaks (given to us) Mashed Potatoes.(.50) Salad ($.50)($1)(5 servings=.20/ea)
  

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Biscuits and Gravy.


• Dinner: Cheesy Turkey Rice/Broccoli Casserole. ($2.50) Green Beans (from garden) Caramel Pecan Cheesecake. ($3.50)($6)(8 servings=.75/ea)

Friday: Pizza/Movie Night:

• Breakfast: Toast with Apple Butter.


• Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Pizza. BBQ Chicken Pizza. ($7)(10 servings=.70/ea)

Saturday:

• Breakfast: Cinnamon Pancakes.


• Dinner: Dinner with Santa.

Total Cost of Meals: $26.40 Average Price Per Serving= .60/ea

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday

Packaging Ideas for Edible Gifts

**UPDATED** Winner is announced at the bottom.



Welcome to this weeks round of the Holiday Food Fest! This week we're covering Packaging Ideas for Edible Gifts. I absolutely adore packaging Christmas presents. My husband makes fun of me for all the time I spend on packaging up our gifts.

I usually try to give a fair amount of homemade gifts every year. Not only do I find it to be more personal, but it makes for a frugal Christmas. Over the last year I have become more comfortable and confident in the kitchen, so I purposed to make even more edible Christmas gifts this year.



For Thanksgiving this year, we are going to see my family in Iowa. What a great opportunity to drop off some Homemade Christmas Gifts!






I took a jar of Jalapeno Jelly and a jar of Corn Cob jelly and attached a festive ribbon around the jar band. For the tag, I used a piece of white cardstock and wrote the serving instructions inside. For this gift I also included Buttermilk Biscuit Mix with a cute snowflake cutter. The candy cane bag was purchased at Dollar General for $1. Total Cost=Under $4




{Please forgive the quality of the photos from here down. My 4yo knocked the camera off the counter..I have yet to find part of the lens that flew off. :( }



I'm so upset that you can't see this basket very well. This is a Breakfast Basket and includes:

• Cinnamon Pancake Mix
• Buttermilk Buscuit Mix with Snowflake Cutter
• Homemade Vanilla Chai Tea Mix with Snowman Mug
• Jalapeno and Corn Cob Jellies in Red Snowman Bag
• Plastic Condiment Bottle w/these instructions on a cute printable Christmas Label: Fill with favorite pancake batter and draw on hot griddle for fun, shaped pancakes! My children LOVE it when I pull mine out!
• Wooden Spoon for mixing
• Plastic Spatula for flipping pancakes
• Green Snowman Towel for cleaning up
• All of this is contained in a plastic green bowl, perfect for use later on.

Total Cost: Under $8

This is more of an All-In-One Basket, I used Jars for the mixes intead of bakery bags. It includes:

• Homemade Vanilla Chai Mix with Snowman Mug {Breakfast}
• Buttermilk Biscuit Mix {Breakfast}
• Jar of Homemade Apple Butter {Breakfast}
• Chili Mix in a Jar w/plastic serving spoon {Dinner}
• Brownie Mix w/wooden stirring spoon {Dessert}
• Snowflake Towel for cleaning up
• Also in a plastic green bowl.
  

Total Cost: Also right around $8

When making homemade mixes, be sure to attach a label with directions so the recipent knows what to do. I did a quick Swagbuck search for "Christmas Lables" and found a lot of really cute options. I use a fair amount of ribbon and Christmas Stationary because it adds a special touch. If you want more of "country" feel, you can use Raffia in place of the ribbon--or even together. Before passing these gifts along, I will wrap the baskets in cellophane and tie off with coordinating ribbon and another home printed tag.

Oh, I can't wait to give them out!

Additonal ideas: I packaged up hot cocoa, homemade marshmallows, and made baggies of Heaven on a Stick for teacher gifts.

Now it is your turn.

What Edible Gifts are you giving this year? What are your Packaging Ideas?

Last weeks giveaway winner is: Saveur at TasteSpace! This week if you link up you enter to win an EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Scale.

"The EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale is a versatile multifunction home appliance. Designed to be highly accurate and aesthetically pleasing, the Precision Pro is manufactured to the highest quality specifications. Weigh items up to 11 lbs quickly and accurately, with results displayed in four different units: grams / ounces / pounds / kilograms. Weigh food items directly on the scale platform or utilize the scale's tare (zero) function, which eliminates the weight of a plate or bowl and makes cleanup a snap. The high resolution screen provides easy viewing angles on any kitchen counter and the five rubber feet eliminate sliding. Additionally the three minute auto-turnoff feature ensures that you will never again lose your measurement in the middle of your recipe prep!" ~Excerpt from Amazon.com

Digital scales are a great tool for any cook. They come in handy when having to measure ingredients for canning, or even bread making--as some recipes state the weight of an ingredient versus a measurement. This scale is pleasing to the eye, so it won't be gawky sitting out on your counter top. The Auto-Turnoff is especially handy for forgetful cooks like me--don't want to waste those batteries!

Link up or comment on this post to enter to win! Must be in the United States to win. Winner will be announced on Wendesday, November 25th.

Can't wait to see your ideas!

Linda from Gluten Free Homemaker--you were picked by Random.org!!

Menu Plan Week of November 15th-November 21st

I've really become lax in making my weekly snacks. A lot of that is because I've been trying to empty out my freezer and hopefully make room for more meat. Meaning, my husband will hopefully get him a deer this week! :) That and I have to make room for turkey! I'm not planning any snacks for this week, but I'm sure we'll find something.

Sunday:

• Breakfast:Cereal
• Dinner: Snacking
  

Monday:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with Apple Butter.
• Dinner: Shrimp Fried Rice ($3.50) (5 servings=.70)
  

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Burritos
• Dinner: Enchiladas.($2.50) HM Refried Beans($.50) Salad. (.50)($3.50)(8 servings=.43/ea)

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats w/bananas
• Dinner: Tuna Patties ($1.50) Peas. ($1) ($2.50)(5 servings=.50/ea)
  
  

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Boiled Eggs (no yolks)
• Dinner: Vegetable Beef Soup ($2.00) HM French Bread (.75)($2.75)(10 servings=.28/ea)
  

Friday: Pizza/Movie Night

• Breakfast: Smoothies.
• Dinner: Veggie Lovers. Buffalo Chicken Pizza.($7)(10 servings=.70/ea)
  

Saturday:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Casserole
• Dinner: Bible Study--Snacks at friends

Total Cost: $19.25 Average Price Per Serving: .51/ea

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes aren't something that I make on a regular basis, but they are requested every year for our Thanksgiving get together. Even when we travel the 8 hours to Iowa. They are that good.

I really have no secret tips, or measurements for that matter. I usually add a little bit of this ingredient and a little bit of that one. Thankfully this dish is forgiving, and there is no need to be precise. I will attempt to guess measurements in order to make it a little easier for those who have to have them. :)




Peel and boil your potoates like you would usually do. Drain off the water and add about 2 Tbsp butter to the hot pan. Add back in the potatoes.

To this, add about 2-4 oz of cream cheese and a healthy dollop of sour cream. Using your hand mixer, beat until it starts to combine. Add about 2 tsp pepper, and a teaspoon or so of seasoned salt.

If your mixture is dry, which mine usually is, add in Evaporated Milk, or additional cream cheese. These 2 ingredients are what makes them Creamy Mashed Potatoes, versus the potatoes your mom makes. If you prefer to have more of a creamy texture, add more milk. If your family prefers a thicker texture, use less milk. Continue to mix with hand mixer and add until you get the consistency of mashed potato you were going for.

A great last minute addition is parsley or chives. Sprinkle just a bit on top after you have mixed in the other ingredients. Stir just to combine.

What is your Favorite Holiday Dish?? Be sure to share over at Tasty Eats at Home as part of the Holiday Food Fest and enter to win a super cute apron!

This post is also linked to Happy Housewife's Talking Turkey for a Turkey post where you can enter to win a turkey for sharing your Thanksgiving stories, recipes, or traditions.

Buttery Homemade Cornbread

Last week I volunteered to make dinner for our church's Wednesday Family Night. I love being able to cook for other people. Considering the amount of food I needed to make, I really wanted to keep it simple. So I decided upon Ham and Beans, Cornbread and Salad.

Before I left to take my 4 year old to school I realized that it would probably be easier if I went ahead and made a few batches of cornbread. I had no idea how many pans the church kitchen would have, and I was unsure how much cornbread I would actually need. I sent a distress call to my Twitter friends and asked how many pieces of cornbread I could get out of 9x13 pan. It was pretty unanimous that it would yield no more than 15 pieces. Until I mentioned how many people I needed it to feed--about 150!

We came to the consensus, that I would have to squeak at least 24 pieces out of a pan in order to keep my sanity. However, while speaking to a church friend, she assured me that I would need 10 pans. I seen Jiffy Mix in my near future at this point. That is, until I investigated the matter further. It is nothing more than the dry ingredients (guess that should be obvious. ;) ), and makes probably half of my recipe. In the end, it would end up costing me more, taking more time, and the flavor would have been nothing like my homemade goodness.

I pressed on, making a total of (5) 9x13 pans of cornbread, of which only 2 ½ were eaten. So very glad I didn't go with 10!

Buttery Cornbread

2 eggs; beaten

1 ¼ cups milk

¼ c butter; softened

1 ½ c cornmeal

3/4 cup unbleached flour

2 Tbsp sugar

2 ¼ tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Combine all of the dry ingredients.

Mix together the softened butter and eggs. Stir in the milk. Add the dry ingredients to the egg/butter mixture.

Pour into a buttered 8x8 pan. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden. If you prefer Cornbread Muffins, you can pour the batter into lined or greased muffin cups. It's been a while since I've went that route, but I would guess it would yield roughly 8 muffins.

It has a nice buttery flavor, and of course is best when served piping hot with a dab more butter. Definitely NOT margarine!

This post is linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday
• Cupcake Tuesday

Menu Plan Week of November 8th-14th

So far our calendar for this week is empty--I can't believe it!

Sunday:

• Breakfast:Cereal
• Dinner: Quick Omelettes. ($2)
  

Monday:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with Apple Butter.
• Dinner: Twice Backed Taco Cups.($1.75) HM Refried Beans.(.50)) Salad.(.50)($2.75)(8 servings=.34/ea)

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Burritos
• Dinner: Egg Roll Stir Fry.($2.50) HM Wontons ($1.75)($4.25)(8 servings=.85/ea)

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats w/bananas
• Dinner: Meatloaf($3.25) Scallopped Potatoes. ($1) Green Beans (Free from garden)($4.25)(8 servings=.53/ea)

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Boiled Eggs (no yolks)
• Dinner: Ham Bonaparte ($4.50) Steamed Veggies ($1) Brown Rice (.25) ($5.75)(10 servings=.57/ea)

Friday: Pizza/Movie Night

• Breakfast: Smoothies.
• Dinner: Veggie Lovers. Ham/Cheese Strombolli. ($7)(10 servings=.70/ea)
  

Saturday:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Casserole
• Dinner: Leftovers.

Snacks:

• Granola
• Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
• PB & J Muffins

Total Cost: $26 Average Price Per Serving: .53/ea

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday.

Freezer Meals

I love being able to open my freezer to find homemade convience foods and meals waiting for me. It brings joy to my soul, and I'm able to feed my family quickly, healthfully and on a budget.

This week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, FishMama and MoneySavingMom "hosted" a live tweeting/blogging Baking Day. I really wish I could have gotten more done, but I already had a busy few days planned.

On Tuesday, I had a friend come over to learn to can applesauce. Before she arrived I was able to get a few things accomplished. Thankfully, because Wednesday I was preoccupied with cooking dinner for our church and I wasn't able to make anything for my freezer.

While I was digging around in my kitchen trying to find my ice cube trays to freeze my chicken broth--I realized that my potatoes were almost past their prime. I immediately saw french fries! After peeling them and cutting them into fries--I boiled them for about 2 minutes to just begin softening them up. I drained them, and placed them on a pan in the freezer to flash freeze. Once they were solid I put them into gallon baggies and put them back in the freezer. We haven't eaten any yet, but I can't wait to give them a try. We are rarely able to use up a bag of potatoes, so this is the perfect solution.

While those were flash freezing--I decided to whip up some Beef Brocolli Stir Fry to have in the freezer for busy nights. This stuff tastes SO good, I was licking the spoon!

Beef Brocolli Stir Fry

1-2 lbs Beef Strips (low cost cuts work perfect here)

1 cup chopped green pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cups broccoli florets

Soy sauce

Worcestershire Sauce

In a skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and broccoli in about 1 tablespoon EVOO. Remove when they begin to get tender.

Cover the bottom of the same pan with Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and add beef strips. Cook until no longer pink.

While the meat is cooking prepare Cream of Broccoli soup by following the basic cream sauce recipe. To this add in about a ¼ cup finely chopped broccoli.

Once your soup is thickened up a bit, add to the skillet of cooked beef and add back the vegetables. Stir until combined.

Let cool completely and add to freezer containers.

Serve over brown rice.

What are your favorite Freezer Meals?

This post is linked to:

• Ultimate Recipe Swap: Baking Day Edition

The Cooking Milk

I was recently contacted by One2One Network, and asked if I would be willing to try a recipe out of Carnation's Holiday Recipe Guide, as well as one of my own using Carnation Evaporated Milk. I was particularly excited about trying "The Cooking Milk" because I've never really used it on a consistent basis. As a matter of fact, I rarely keep it on hand, I've always made my own.

In looking over the Holiday Recipe guide, I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to make. Everything looked so good! On a whim, this morning I decided to go with the Pear Oven Pancake, and I am so glad I did! It was very easy to make, and took very little time--which is exactly what I have been looking for over the past few months. My husband, who is a picky breakfast eater, loved it and requested I put it into our breakfast rotation.

Since we were so pleased with our breakfast choice, I decided to go ahead and change up our dinner plans and include "The Cooking Milk" in our meal. I scrapped our plan of Enchiladas, and went with Mexican Chicken Casserole instead. I've never used evaporated milk in this dish, but it added a creamier finished product that we all really enjoyed. I would say Carnation Evaporated Milk may just be an added staple to my pantry.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

2 cups cooked/diced chicken breasts

1/2 cup diced onions

1 can Ro-Tel

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or homemade)

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 (12oz) can Carnation Evap. Milk

Shredded Cheese

Doritos

Saute the diced onions in EVOO. While the onions on sauteeing, make up your cream soups. When I made this dish, I made the cream of chicken soup (I melted 2 Tbsp butter, and stirred in 2 Tbsp flour until a paste formed. Added in a dash of garlic powder and a dash of parsley. Slowly stir in roughly 2/3 cup homemade chicken broth. Cook until thickened.) and used store bought cream of mushroom soup, since my husband isn't big on the strong mushroomy flavor of the homemade version (I can hide it in some dishes, but didn't think this would be one). If you are using store bought, add both cans to a sauce pot and stir until combined. Add in the evaporated milk and Ro-Tel. Warm until the flavors are meshed.

Layer crushed Dorito chips in the bottom of a 9x13 pan, and top with diced chicken. Pour sauce mixture over the chicken and top with additional crushed chips and shredded cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 350° oven. Top with sour cream and shredded lettuce. Enjoy!

If you would like to recieve your very own copy of Carnation's Holiday Recipe Guide, go here.

Dislaimer: One2OneNetwork provided me with 2 coupons for Carnation Evaporated Milk, a gift card to purchase the ingredients for the dishes, and my very own Holiday Recipe Guide.

This post is linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday

Menu Plan Week of November 1st-November 7th

Last week was outright brutal--only 2 meals went off as planned. Quite frankly, I'm surprised we got through that many. Thankfully this week is a new week--and things seem to be going a million times better and the sun is shining! Praise God!

Sunday:

• Breakfast:Cereal
• Dinner: Spaghetti. ($2.75) Bruschetta. (used HM FB Baguettes, topped w/home canned tomatoes, Mozzarella Cheese, garlic and basil.) (.45) GB. (Free from garden) ($3.20)(6 servings=.53/ea)

Monday:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with Apple Butter.
• Dinner: Enchiladas.($2.50) HM Refried Beans.(.50)) Spanish Rice.(.25)($3.25)(8 servings=.41/ea)

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Burritos
• Dinner: Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole .($5.25) Brocolli. ($1.75)($7)(8 servings=.88/ea)

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats w/bananas
• Dinner: Cooking dinner at church.
  

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Boiled Eggs (no yolks)
• Dinner: Teriyaki Chicken($5) Steamed Veggies ($1) Brown Rice (.25) ($6.25)(10 servings=.63/ea)

Friday: Pizza/Movie Night

• Breakfast: Smoothies.
• Dinner: Veggie Lovers. Ham/Cheese Strombolli. ($7)(10 servings=.70/ea)
  

Saturday:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Casserole
• Dinner: Leftovers.

Snacks:

• Granola
• Pumpkin Pie

Total Dinner Cost: $26.70 Average price per serving: .64/ea

This post is linked to Menu Plan Monday.

Menu Plan Week of October 25th-October 31st

October is coming to a close, and there are only 2 months left of 2009. My oh my has it flown by.

Last week was the quietest week we've had in quite sometime..other than our 4 year old getting sick. We decided to take full advantage of it, and stay home the weekend as well. This in turn meant that our dinner plans changed for the weekend..but not by much. Saturday, instead of fish, we had leftovers. :)

Sunday:

• Breakfast:Cereal
• Dinner: Snacked for dinner.

Monday:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with Apple Butter.
• Dinner: Cheesy Chicken Rice Casserole.($2.25) Brocolli.($2) HM Applesauce.(.50)($4,75)(8 servings=.59/ea)

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Burritos
• Dinner: Egg Roll Stir Fry. (basic concept, ingred. varied just a bit) ($2.50) HM Wontons. ($1.75)($4.25)(5 servings=.85/ea)

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats w/bananas
• Dinner: Meatloaf($3.25) Scallopped Potatoes. ($1) Green Beans (Free from garden)($4.25)(8 servings=.53/ea)

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Boiled Eggs (no yolks)
• Dinner: Spice Rubbed Pork Steaks ($1.50) Salad (.50) French Bread(.40)($2.40)(5 servings=.48/ea)

Friday: Movie Night

• Breakfast: Smoothies.
• Dinner: Leftovers

Saturday/Halloween:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Casserole
• Dinner: Mummy Pizza. Popcorn. Cupcakes. ($5)(8 servings)
  

Snacks:

• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Pumpkin Pie

Total Dinner Cost: $20.65 Average price per serving: .61/ea

For more menu plan inspiration, visit Menu Plan Monday.

Easy Breakfast Casserole

Last weekend I volunteered to bring a breakfast casserole to a church function. I've only ever made a quiche, maybe twice, and didn't really know what to expect. I searched online for a few ideas, and meshed a couple of recipes together to use what I had on hand.

I can't believe I've never made one before. They are so easy, and make breakfast time a breeze.

My casserole ended up not being needed, so I popped it in the oven first thing Sunday morning. My clan didn't know what to think about having a big feast before church on Sunday. Usually we are too rushed.

I made mine thinking it was for a big crowd, feel free to half it for just your family.

Sorry there isn't a picture..it was gone before I thought to snap one.

Loaded Breakfast Casserole

12 eggs

2 cups milk

6 oz. colby jack cheese (cheddar would also work)

1 lb bacon (or sausage, whichever you prefer. You could even do half and half)

Tator Tots

Salt and Pepper to taste

Dice up your bacon and fry until crispy, if using sausage, scramble and drain. Spread the tator tots over the bottom of a 9x13 pan and sprinkle with meat. Mix up the eggs, milk and salt and pepper and pour into the pan. Sprinkle cheese on top. Make this up the night before, and bake in the morning at 350° for about 55 minutes.

If you are cutting this recipe in half, use an 8x8 pan.

I served ours with a dash of salsa. Yum!

This post is linked to:

• Fishmama's Ultimate Recipe Swap
• Recipe Swap

Apple Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins

Our local grocery store keeps having great prices on browning bananas. So much so, I cannot pass them up. I've been freezing sliced bananas for us to use in smoothies, but, you can only have so many.

I seem to be stuck on making Banana Bread/Muffins with our browning bananas. Quite frankly, I'm ready for a change. In addition to our abundance of bananas, we also have an abundace of apples. I was searching for a recipe that contained both, and I found these. With a few slight changes, they are perfect for breakfast and for using up clearanced fruit.

Apple Banana Oatmeal Muffins

1 ½ cups old fashioned oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1 cup chopped apple

2 mashed bananas

Combine all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Then add in the eggs and milk, and mix thoroughly. Gently fold in the mashed banana and chopped apples.

Spoon into greased muffin tins. You can line them, if desired.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes.

I'm hoping that having some of these muffins handy, will help me with my breakfast issues.

What are some of your go-to breakfasts?

This post is linked to:

• Slightly Indulgent Monday
• Mouthwatering Monday
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Cupcake Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday

Homemade Applesauce

I truly think that my children could eat their weight in applesauce. While I am very happy that they love it, sometimes the store bought stuff is just laden with sugar, which to me, almost negates the nutritional benefit of the apples.

When I stumbled upon an awesome deal on apples ($10 a bushel!), I decided now was my chance to try my hand at homemade applesauce and apple butter. It was easy, frugal, delish and sugar free! Since then, I've picked up 2 more bushels, although these were higher, and I'm ready to stock my pantry with homemade applesauce!

This is all there is to it:



I peeled, cored and sliced my apples just like I did when I was making the apple butter. This time, I placed all the apples into my biggest stockpot and added about 2 quarts water. Instead of water, you can add apple juice instead. I didn't have any, so I used water.




It wasn't until I was finished with the batch that a light bulb went off. If you have a juicer, throw the peels and cores that were leftover into the juicer--and Wa-La! You've got juice! You may still need to add a smidge of water to get enough, but atleast most of your liquid would be juice.




After I had my water and apples in the stockpot I brought it to a boil. When the apples started softening up, I added in about 2 Tbsp of cinnamon and cooked for an additional 5 minutes. If you want a chunky applesauce--remove from heat before the apples are translucent. If you are going for a smoother textured applesauce--cook until completely soft.




Once your apples have reached the desired doneness, process them in a food processor or food mill, juice and all.




Your applesauce will keep in the refrigerator for 2 months, or you can home can it for longer storage, using the water bath canning method. We prefer ours in quarts, which should be processed for 25 minutes. If you are canning them in pints, process for 20 minutes.




Homemade applesauce is perfect for after school snacks, a side at dinner, or even as a substitute to oil in baking. With it being sugar free, there isn't any guilt, either. :)






This post is linked to:

• Mouthwatering Monday
• Slightly Indulgent Monday
• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Tasty Tuesday
• Tuesday at the Table

Menu Plan Week of October 11th-17th

Can you believe it is already the middle of October?! I know I can't. This week is our final week of soccer until the Spring season. I am beyond ready for things to slow down a little around here.

I was pretty busy in the kitchen last week with baking day and apple butter making. I am so thankful to have a freezer full of baked goods and an ever growing pantry. This week brings more apple butter making as well as some applesauce. I still have almost 2 complete bushels to process! Due to the busyness last week, we didn't make some of the meals that were planned, so you may see some repeats.

Sunday:

• Breakfast:Free for all
• Dinner: Dinner on the road on the way home from the hometown.

Monday:

• Breakfast: Egg Sandwiches.
• Dinner: Sweet and Sour Chicken.($2.75) Fried Rice.(.25) Pumpkin Pie.($1)($4)(8 servings=.50/ea)

Tuesday:

• Breakfast: Steel Cut Oats with apples.
• Dinner: Black Eyed Pea Soup. ($1.50) French Bread. (.40)($1.90)(8 servings=.24/ea)

Wednesday:

• Breakfast: Muffins
• Dinner: Tuna Patties. ($2-ish) Steamed Broccoli. ($1) Brown Rice. (.25)($3.25)(5 servings=.65/ea)

Thursday:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal w/bananas
• Dinner: Tator Tot Casserole.(under $2) Green beans. (free from garden)($2)(5 servings=.40/ea)

Friday: Pizza/Movie Night

• Breakfast: Smoothies.
• Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Pizza and Pepperoni Pizza. ($7)(10 servings=.70/ea)

Saturday:

• Breakfast: Biscuits and Gravy.
• Dinner: Deer.(free) Corn on the Cob (free from garden) Baked Potatoes (one of DH's co-workers recently took a hunting trip to Idaho, and brought us back a 5 gallon bucket of HUGE potatoes. Free) FREE!! (5 servings)

Snacks:

• Pumpkin Bread
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Total Cost of Dinners: $18.15 Average Price Per Serving: .44/ea (2 weeks in a row!)

For additional menu plans, check out Menu Plan Monday and Chive Talking: Menu Plan.