Home Sweet Simple Home
The MIX
I’ve been getting lots of requests for me to share my Christmas trail mix recipe. I’ve been wanting to do it as a picture post for the fun of it but haven’t assembled all my ingredients and containers yet.And it’s not on the agenda until after next week- So I’ll share without pictures for now and then add the pictures later . . . . .
With that said- I must warn you that I change this recipe every single time I make it. I figure it just adds to the surprise.
First I’ll share the basic mix and then boggle your minds with my switcheroos.
Basic Christmas Snack Mix
1 large package Christmas M&Ms
1 pound chocolate covered raisins
1 pound white fudge covered pretzels
8 cups cinnamon graham cereal
Mix it altogether and package in air-tight containers.
Please note that I have never ever made it this way. Yes it is quite simple and I’m sure it would be truly delish. But I just can’t help myself. I must tweak recipes.
So what do I do?
Well, there was the year I couldn’t find white fudge covered pretzels- so I used yogurt pretzels instead. Yummo. Combine that with dried cranberries. Also- I’ve taken to purchasing the fancier bags of Chex mix that come out around Christmas time. Of course I purchase them when they are on sale- buy one get one free.
Last year I used Chex Chocolate Turtle mix- 2 bags. Added in 2-3 cups of cranberries, the M&Ms, 1 pound yogurt raisins and a 28 oz. package of white fudge pretzels. Excellent.
In the past I also found an apple-cinnamon Chex mix and added more dried apple slices, M&Ms and dried cherries.
I love the look of the red dried cherries and yogurt raisins/pretzels.
I often double the recipe due the high demand for this yummy mix. I keep costs as low as possible by looking for sales on the pricier items- like the Chex mix and M&Ms and buying the raisins and cranberries in bulk at an Amish store.
I will post again when I’ve got all of this year’s ingredients assembled to give you the 2008 version.
MPM- more of a guideline
Menu with Daily Costs
Notes: My menu is really more of a set of guidelines- what I’m prepared to prepare. Sometimes life gets in the way and meals get switched or we find ourselves helping out at my parents’ place and eating supper with them. Often I will carry over a meal to the next week if we didn’t get to it- since I have the ingredients on hand. With the holidays coming we have declared this week to be a pantry week- meaning we will be eating from the pantry and freezer and only purchasing staples like milk and eggs this week.
Monday
B: Oatmeal with your choice of topping
L: ravioli, bread and butter, cubed cheese
D: Tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches, dill pickles
Dessert: iced monkey bread
Daily Cost: $7.92
Tuesday
B: Mama’s cheesy scrambled eggs, toast
L: Homeschool group lunch: Bring: cranberry Jell-o jigglers
D: Maiden cook: skillet lasagna, garlic bread
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $7.56
Wednesday
B: Choice: cereal or yogurt
L: chicken noodle soup & mini sandwich triangles
D: Peppy Macaroni
Dessert: Twinkie Cake
Daily Cost: $11.12
Thursday
B: Toad in the Hole
L: Nachos
D: One Dish Chicken bake, steamed veggies
Dessert: leftover Twinkie cake
Daily Cost: $7.64
Friday – Family Movie Nite
B: Oatmeal with your choice of topping, toast
L: Diner Dinner
D: Cheeseburger Casserole
Dessert: is there any Twinkie cake left?
Daily Cost: $5.14
Saturday
B: Daddy cook (eggs, bacon, toast etc.)
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: Leftover Smorgasbord
Daily Cost: $3.00
Sunday
B: Cocoa Wheats, toast
L: Harvest dinner @ church: bring greens salad
D: @ my parents
Daily Cost: $5.25
Weekly Total: $47.63
~~ Don’t forget to check out the yummy menu ideas every Monday over at The Organizing Junkie’s blog. You just might find your next favorite family recipe!
MPM: a week of delightful dishes
Notes: I didn’t get a chance to post my menu last week- lots going on with mine and Mr. Steady’s back to back birthdays and such. On Friday Maiden and I will be traveling to a women’s conference, Sassafras will be staying the nite w/ Nana and Pawpaw—Mr. Steady and Mr. Conductor will be having guys night.
Monday – Movie Nite- Fireproof!
B: Friendship bread, apple slices
L: Sunday leftovers
D: w/friends- bringing: Maiden’s crockpot mac-n-cheese
Dessert: w/friends
Daily Cost: $6.65
Tuesday
B: @ MOPS meeting
L: Homeschool group lunch: Bring: salad
D: Crockpot Cowboy Stew, biscuits
Dessert: brownies (birthday treat from the weekend)
Daily Cost: $9.88
Wednesday
B: Choice: cereal or yogurt
L: Polka Dots
D: Chicken and veggie alfredo, h’made bread
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $8.87
Thursday
B: French Toast
L: Chicken sandwiches, chips, cubed cheese
D: Peppy Macaroni
Dessert: warm tapioca pudding
Daily Cost: $9.11
Friday – Guys Nite
B: caramel apple oatmeal, toast
L: Diner Dinner
D: Pigs in a blanket
Dessert: milk shakes
Daily Cost: $6.43
Saturday
B: Boys cook together
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: Leftover Smorgasbord
Daily Cost: $1.75
Sunday
B: Cocoa Wheats, toast
L: Crockpot: Chicken Cacciatore, h’made pickles, h’made bread
D: Lunch Leftovers
Daily Cost: $5.98
Weekly Total: $48.67
~~ Don’t forget to check out the yummy menu ideas every Monday over at The Organizing Junkie’s blog. You just might find your next favorite family recipe!
A new Recipe- Yippee!
Well, I’ve had many requests for this fantabulous crockpot recipe—so I simply must share it. I am enjoying my crockpot so much! I love all the new recipes I’ve found- we haven’t had a bad one yet!Crockpot Triple Chocolate Surprise
1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup water
4 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
---- Spray/lightly grease crockpot. Mix all ingredients by hand and pour into crockpot. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.
Serve hot or warm with ice cream or whipped cream topping.
I found this cake came out best when cooked on high for 3 hours and then turned to “warm” setting. This gave it plenty of time to “plump up” yet remain moist and didn’t cause the edges to harden like I’ve had trouble with in the past.
Cost breakdown: cake mix 79 cents (Aldi’s), sour cream 50 cents, 1 cup chocolate chips 50 cents, 4 eggs 46 cents, vegetable oil 36 cents, chocolate pudding mix 33 cents.
Total Cost: $2.94
I love to serve this warm with a few slices of strawberries and a dollop of whip cream.
This recipe is a real crowd pleaser! And such a wonderfully low cost!
Crockpot Cowboy Stew recipe
Crock Pot Cowboy Stew Recipe
1-1/4 lbs beef stew meat
4 unpeeled potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (28.00 ounces) can baked beans
2 Tbsp. BBQ sauce
Mix stew meat, potatoes, onions, salt and pepper in crockpot. Spread beans over the meat mix and pour BBQ sauce over beans (work it in a bit with the flat of the spoon on the beans). Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours until the beef is tender. Or on high for 3-4 hours.
We love to serve cheddar chive biscuits with this! Also- I love using our enamelware bowls and cups and bandanas for napkins- gives us a cowboy feeling!
Cost breakdown: stew meat (a little over 1 lb)cost $3.31, potatoes- free (out of garden), onion- free (also out of garden) can baked beans $1.00 and BBQ sauce- well, we’ve had this sauce in the fridge for awhile- no price tag, I have no idea- let’s say 10 cents.
Total Cost: $4.41 or there abouts.
Add the biscuits (you can purchase a mix for 99 cents- just add water or milk depending on mix) and you have a delicious meal for under $6 for a family of 5.
Autumn Yum Cake Recipe
Autumn Yum Cake
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup water
3 eggs
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Blend all ingredients together and pour into two 8 inch round pans (that you’ve greased and floured ahead of time). Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick poked in center comes out clean. Cool cakes and frost with cream cheese frosting (you can make two separate cakes and therefore share one or make a two layer cake). This cake took 1 ½ containers of frosting.
Cost Breakdown: boxed cake mix 79 cents (Aldi’s), cup of mayo- 50 cents (32 oz. jar @ Aldi’s for $1.99), 35 cents for 3 eggs, less than a penny for the cinnamon so it’s a wash. Containers of Icing- sale at local little store 99 cents each used 1.5 so that comes to $1.49.
Total Cost: $3.13 for a beautiful two layer cake.
Sprinkles were free- from my very own Mama.
Frosting done with love by me and Mr. C {who of course had to lick the frosting knife before we were done frosting and who repeatedly stuck his little gooey fingers into the icing making swirling patterns- however, this did not affect the yumminess of the cake in any way.}
Crockpotting not Crack potting- at least not yet
I am currently spending valuable online time looking for new crockpot recipes. I have found we are back to having Sunday Dinner if I can utilize my crockpot. Otherwise we don’t.We
Just
Don’t.
I have to admit it- I’m just not committed to making it the spectacular celebration meal that it should be without the crockpot.
Truth be told- I haven’t been altogether committed to making it anything close to spectacular. In the not so distant past it has been leftovers or a reinvention of leftovers.
Sigh.
Boring.
And we’ve been eating at the kitchen table instead of the dining table (what ever happened to that Sunday tradition).
Our Sundays are so squished between morning church services and evening church ministries. And with me having the job of church youth director- it’s a work day to boot.
So we relish the quiet and simplicity of Sunday afternoons.
And I love me my Nazarene Nap.
So what’s a gal to do?
Crockpot it.
The house smells so yummilicious when we get home from church.
This has been my first step.
I then took another step by setting out the stack of plates etc. for dinner on the table before leaving for church.
Now I am about ready to embark on my next step.
---- Having the dining table cleared off and moving the stack-o-plates to that table.
I know myself and if I had tried to do this all at once I would have fallen flat on my face, taken the rest from the Sabbath and not wanted to do it ever again.
Instead- taking small steps has my heart in step with continuing to make our Sunday’s special without making it stressful for the momma.
Recipe turns into a 2 dish meal
Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
28 oz. jar spaghetti sauce
2 green peppers, chopped
1 onion, minced
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
Place chicken in crockpot, top with all remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 7 to 9 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours.
Cost breakdown: $4.44 for chicken breast ( approx. 74 cents/breast), $1 for cheap jar of spaghetti sauce, peppers and onions from the garden. Garlic- do not have an approximation for this one.
Total cost: $5.44
The cacciatore could be served over spaghetti noodles but we prefer it as is for the first meal; served with a nice crisp salad and some homemade bread. The leftovers can be used to make chicken spaghetti- just shred the chicken in the sauce and reheat then pour over cooked noodles.
In our house this is a two dish meal (until the kids get a bit bigger and start eating more!). In order to make it stretch a bit more the 2nd meal, I have added about a ½ cup (or more if needed) of pizza sauce and sliced mushrooms. So for the 2nd meal calculations- add noodles (50 cents), 1 cup pizza sauce (50 cents) and sliced mushrooms (40 cents) for a total of $1.40.
And with prices creeping up and up and up this is a very good thing.
Um- Hmm I love these muffins
Since the oven AND kitchen were already flaming hot with supper baking, I decided to whip up tomorrow’s breakfast tonight rather than heat the oven up again tomorrow morning.
I love the following recipe but hardly ever make it due to the fact that I don’t keep maraschino cherries on hand. Also due to the fact that those cherries aren’t cheap. But I was doing a pantry inventory and found these shoved way back on a shelf with a price tag of 99 cents. Wha-hoo!
Cherry Chip Muffins
1.5 cup flour
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 egg
½ cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 jar maraschino cherries (reserve juice- chop cherries)
¾ cup chocolate chips
1 cup powdered sugar
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside. In another bowl, whisk egg, milk and oil. Add dry and wet ingredients together. Drain cherries, reserve 2 Tbsp juice for glaze. Chop cherries and fold into batter with chocolate chips. Drop into muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees for 13 minutes.
Glaze: combine powdered sugar and cherry juice to make glaze and drizzle over top of muffins.
Cost breakdown: 12 cents for flour, 8 cents for sugar, figuring 3 cents for baking powder and salt, 8 cents for egg, 9 cents for milk, 5 cents for oil, 99 cents for cherries (reg. $2.19), 37 cents for chocolate chips and I bought the powdered sugar so long ago I don’t have a clue- lets say 5 cents.
Total Cost: $1.86 for 1.5 dozen muffins [that's 10 cents/muffin]
Now- these would cost $3.06 purchasing the cherries for regular price. [I like to keep breakfast cost under $2.]
Also I probably could squeeze 2 doz. muffins out of this recipe if I didn’t fill the muffin cups up so high.
Perhaps I should try making these as mini muffins. Course, I don’t own a mini muffin tin . . . . . best to stick with what I’ve been doing.
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Tonight I have a homeschool group moms’ meeting and we are all to bring a snack to share. I will be bringing Crockpot Buffalo Chicken dip- this is my adaptation of a recipe found online somewhere. As far as snacks and appetizers go I find it to be a bit expensive but it makes enough for a small crowd plus I have everything on hand to make this dip. In fact- that’s why I love to make this recipe- because I almost always have the ingredients on hand!Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
1 can chunk chicken
½ cup hot sauce
2- 8 oz. pkg cream cheese
16 ox. Bottle Ranch Dressing
16 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
-- Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low until bubbly approx. 2.5 to 3 hours. Keep an eye on it!
Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.
Cost breakdown: can of chicken $1.69 (Aldi’s), hot sauce approx. 50 cents (bottle purchased for $1), cream cheese $1.78 (Aldi’s), Ranch Dressing 99 cents (Aldi’s) and cheese $3 (on sale at local grocer).
I’ll be serving it with wheat and butter crackers I purchased for $1/each at local dollar store.
Total Cost: $7.96 or $9.96 with crackers.
Sharing another recipe- cinnamon rolls in my bread machine
Update- I've decided to be lazy and make this post my Works For Me Wednesday post of the week. [I could have said, "I decided this post was so good I just had to share it for WFMW but I decided honesty would be the better course here! LOL]
Go here to see what tips and tricks others have to share.
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
1 cup water
2 Tbsp softened butter
1 egg
3 1/3 cups bread flour
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp yeast
Place all ingredients in bread machine in order listed. Run thru dough cycle in your bread machine. Grease a 9x9 pan. Combine 1/3 cup sugar & 1 tsp cinnamon. Roll dough into large rectangle (about 18x9 in.) Spread dough with 2 Tbsp softened butter and sprinkle with sugar mixture. Roll up tightly, beginning at 9” side. Cut roll into 1” slices and place in pan, cut sides up. Cover and let rise in warm place for about 1 hour. Bake @ 375* for about 25-30 minutes.
Remove from pan and frost with cream cheese icing (you can make your own or buy pre-made icing at the store).
Side Note: I use unflavored dental floss to cut my rolls otherwise I tend to squish ‘em trying to cut with a knife.
Cost breakdown: butter 24 cents , egg 10 cents, flour 47 cents (I use Bread machine flour), sugar 36 cents, yeast 36 cents and add 5 cents to the figure for salt, plus sugar & cinnamon mixture. Add an additional 99 cents for the store bought cream cheese icing.
Total Cost: $2.57
That’s $2.57 for giant yummy homemade cinnamon rolls dripping with cream cheese icing. Oh. My. Stars.
Simple, yummy chicken
This recipe is so incredibly simple!Ranch Chicken
2 lbs. chicken pieces (your choice- I use chicken breast)
2 envelopes Ranch Dressing Mix
2-3 Tbsp. fine bread crumbs
Empty Ranch dressing packets into a bowl and mix well with a small fork (working out any clumps). Add bread crumbs and continue mixing until blended well. Rinse and dry chicken pieces then dredge pieces in the dressing mixture. Sprak a baking dish with non-stick spray and place coated chicken in it. Bake for 40 minutes in 350 degree oven or until done.
My family loves for me to serve baked potatoes and a greens salad or Bacon Ranch green beans with this recipe.
Cost Breakdown: I use 5 chicken breasts for this recipe for a total of $3.70 (I buy 4lb. bag of quick freeze chicken breasts when the pkgs. Are buy one get one free so it ends up costing me about 74 cents per chicken breast) but you could make it even cheaper by using bone-in cheaper pieces of chicken. I purchased a store brand box of 4 packets of Ranch Dressing mix for $2.50- using two packets for this recipe adds $1.25 to the recipe. Bread crumbs are “free” as I put the end and odd pieces of bread thru my food processor to make the crumbs.
Total cost: $4.95. That’s just under $5 for the main entrée. Not bad!
If we have leftover chicken I like to chunk it up and put it on top of my greens salad for lunch the next day. I’ve also shredded the chicken and made cheesy chicken quesadillas. Oh, the possibilities!
Recipe- Garden Veggie Scrambled Eggs
Garden Veggie Scrambled Eggs8 eggs
4 tbsp garden veggie cream cheese spread
Salt and pepper to taste
Bacon grease for skillet
--- Whisk together 8 eggs and set aside. Place 4 tbsp. of cream cheese spread in a microwavable bowl and cook in 15 sec. increments until super soft (but not soupy). Stir softened cream cheese into egg mixture with a fork. Melt bacon grease in skillet then add egg & cream cheese mixture. Cook until set- as you “normally” would cook your scrambled eggs.
Optional: add finely chopped fresh mushroom, a bit of diced onion and some shredded cheese. [Will serve four]
Cost Breakdown: The cream cheese was marked down to a 99 cent quick sale which is what led to me trying out this recipe (I’ve always heard you can substitute cream cheese for milk in scrambled eggs) so the cream cheese cost me 24 cents. Eggs were $1.19 a dozen, making the eggs for my recipe 79 cents. The onions were from our garden and the two almost shriveled mushrooms were in the crisper pan (where they must have been “dumped out” when I made salad late last week) so I’ve got no cost for both of those ingredients.
Total Cost: $1.03
So how did they taste? Delicious! Yumm-o!
And what am I doing with the rest of the flavored cream cheese? Well, today, I lightly spread it on two thick slices of whole wheat bread and topped it with a couple thin slices of turkey and a bit of lettuce for my picnic lunch (the kids had good ol’ bologna- sigh, no imagination there). Which was quite tasty too. There is still a bit left and I’m thinking of adding it in when I make Crescent Chicken Squares on Wednesday.
Yummy Breakfast Recipe
Little Boy Blue Breakfast Cake2 cups flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup butter
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 cup blueberries
¼ cup sugar
¾ tsp. cinnamon
Heat oven to 350*. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, milk and eggs, blend with mixer on low speed until all dry ingredients are moist then beat batter for 3 minutes on med. speed. Pour batter into greased baking pan (9x13 or 9 inch round). Arrange blueberries on top of batter. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top of blueberries & batter.
Bake for 40-15 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.
Cost breakdown: Flour 16 cents ($1.48/lb), Sugar 28 cents ($1.69/lb), baking powder & salt & cinnamon (I don’t have figures for these- lets say 5 cents), butter 64 cents, milk 18 cents, eggs 17 cents (99 cents/doz), blueberries (ack! I can’t find my figures- these were handpicked and frozen from last summer- lets say 75 cents).
Total Cost: $2.23
We love making this in a 9 inch round stoneware pan (Pampered Chef) and cutting it into thick wedges. This is Maiden’s recipe (from her cookbook Marmee’s Kitchen Primer by Martha Greene) since she is the one who makes it most often. It is one of her daddy’s favorites and so it has become family tradition to serve it on Father’s Day and his birthday for breakfast. We find the cake to be very filling on its own but to round out the meal you would add bowls of fresh cut fruit.
Recipe: Crescent Chicken squares
Crescent Chicken Squares8- oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp butter, softened
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (or 1 10.5 oz can chunk chicken)
1 Tbsp chopped chives
3 to 4 Tbsp milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough
1 Tbsp butter, melted
½ cup bread crumbs
Heat oven to 350*. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and softened butter (2 tbsp) until smooth. Add chicken, chives, milk, salt & pepper and mix well. Set aside.
Separate crescent rolls dough into 8 rectangles onto 2 cookie sheets (4 on each); firmly pressing perforations to make solid rectangle. Spoon chicken mixture onto the center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture and twist- pinch edges to seal. [Note: you can also just pull 2 sides of the rectangle, overlapping slightly and press to seal.] Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.
Cost breakdown: cream cheese 99 cents (Aldi’s), 3 Tbsp. butter 18 cents (1 pound butter purchased for $1.99), can chunk chicken $1.69 (Aldi’s), chives free from my garden, milk 5 cents (1 gal. for $2.79 @ Aldi’s), crescent rolls 2 pkgs for $2.78 (Aldi’s $1.39 each), bread crumbs free (made from ends of homemade bread put in blender and then frozen).
Total Cost: $5.69
Weekly Menu- Hooray!
Notes: Lots going on this week and the food costs add up. We’ve got our end-of-school-year celebration camp-out with our homeschool group followed by a wake (or party) in celebration of my Grandfather’s life and legacy. I padded the grocery budget with an extra $20 but don’t think I’ll need it all. The fruit I am bringing for the camp-out breakfast is in my freezer now and will be semi-thawed before serving. It is requested every year-end camp-out that I bring fruit so I gather and freeze over the year for this event- I’ve got blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and peaches frozen and I’ll add some pineapple and maybe some kiwi to the mix when I put it together on Friday. So though the cost is higher, I’ve spread it out over time.
We had hotdog buns given to us for free and I’m tired of eating hotdogs but want to remain frugal (w/o freezing the buns) so I’ll be making special French toast using the buns this week- it’s easy, economical and the kiddos think it is quite fun.
Monday
B: fruit cups, English muffins w/cream cheese
L: Chicken patty sandwiches, chips, pickle spears
D: @ the home of friends
Dessert: @ friends
Daily Cost: $3.62
Tuesday
B: French Toast (made from leftover hotdog buns)
L: Pizza grilled cheese
D: Chicken-n-noodles, bread & butter pickles, salad
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $5.78
Wednesday
B: choice: cereal/yogurt and toast
L: chicken nuggets, cottage cheese, dill pickle spears
D: Meal in a packet
Dessert: strawberry shortcake
Daily Cost: $13.12
Thursday – Last Day of School
B: Yogurt parfaits
L: Diner Dinner (choose your leftovers)
D: Ranch baked chicken, baked potatoes, salad
Dessert: brownies
Daily Cost: $8.10
Friday Tonight is the Homeschool Group Camp-out!
B: French Toast Part Duex (topped w/any leftover strawberries)
L: Loaded baked potatoes (from Thurs. nite)
D: Cook-out @ Camp-out: Bringing: Macaroni Salad
Dessert: @ camp-out
Daily Cost: $11.90
Saturday
B: Homeschool Group Camp-out bring: fruit
L: Leftover Smorgasbord @ camp-out
D: Wake for my Grandfather bring: Maiden’s Mac-n-cheese
Daily Cost: $9.31
Sunday
B: Cocoa Wheats, toast
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: @ my parents
Daily Cost: $1.15
Weekly Total: $52.98
~~ Don’t forget to check out the yummy menu ideas every Monday over at The Organizing Junkie’s blog. You just might find your next favorite family recipe!
Another recipe: Taco Crescent Bake
Wow. Two recipes posted in one week! The following is a new recipe we tried on Wednesday evening.Taco Crescent Bake
1 tube refrigerated crescent rolls
2 cups crushed tortilla chips, divided
1 lb. taco seasoned ground beef (I use turkey)
1 8 oz. container sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Cook ground beef and add taco seasoning as directed. Unroll cresent dough into a rectangle; press into bottom and about an inch up the sides of a 9x13 pan. Press seams and perferations together. Sprinkle with 1 cup of crushed chips and spoon taco beef over chips. Top with sour cream, cheese and remaining 1 cup of chips.
Bake uncovered at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.
Serve topped with salsa if desired.
Cost breakdown: 1 tube of crescent rolls $1.39 (Aldi’s), tortilla chips 75 cents (the bag costs $1.50 and I estimate I used just under half the bag), ground turkey 99 cents (Aldi’s) and taco seasoning 20 cents, sour cream 25 cents (purchased a 16 oz. container for 50 cents at Wal-mart), shredded cheese 87 cents (purchased 4 cup bag at Aldi’s for $3.49).
Total cost: $4.45
This was a new recipe for us this week. We ended up adding lettuce and tomato on top. It was good but we all agreed that it’s just as good and cheaper to make messy tacos (using tortilla chips- our cross between tacos and nachos). We did like the crust on the bottom (from the crescent rolls) but again- tacos are cheaper. Mr. Steady figured this would be a good potluck recipe though and so we’ll keep it for such an occasion.
Ah, menus- don't have one but I do have Recipe!
Once again I thought I was back on track with sharing my menus and here it is Wednesday without a meal post- plus I didn’t share a new recipe last week (mostly because I ended up not making it due to a change in plans).
So we’ll be trying the new recipe tonight- Taco Crescent Bake and then off to my Grandmother’s for dessert- strawberry shortcake to celebrate her 82nd birthday.
We’ll be making homemade cards later and I’ve got a loaf of homemade bread to take to her. Pumpkin bread with golden raisins and a small jar of honey butter.
Last Friday we spent the evening with friends and I brought dessert. I made a strawberry shortcake—with a little something extra. Chocolate chip shortcake.
Chocolate Chip Shortcake
2 cups biscuit baking mix
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
½ cup milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 375*. Grease an 8-inch round baking pan. In a bowl, stir together baking mix and sugar. Set aside. In another bowl, slightly beat egg and blend in milk and oil. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir just ‘til moist (batter will be lumpy). Fold in chocolate chips and spoon batter into prepared pan.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes then remove from pan. Cut into wedges to serve. [Top with berries of your choice and sweet whip cream.] Serves 8.
Note: This is rich- so have the coffee ready!
Cost Breakdown: I really don’t have a cost breakdown for this as a friend made a large batch of homemade biscuit baking mix and shared with me- so the cost was very small- just the sugar, egg, milk, oil and chips- and that all comes in under $2.
Crockpot Dessert- Chocolate!
Triple Chocolate Surprise1 pkg. chocolate cake mix
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup water
4 eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix
----- Spray/lightly grease crockpot. Mix all ingredients by hand and pour into crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
Serve hot or warm with ice cream or whipped cream topping.
Cost breakdown: cake mix 79 cents, sour cream 50 cents, chocolate chips 50 cents, 4 eggs 46 cents ($1.39 doz.), vegetable oil 19 cents, pudding mix 33 cents.
Total Cost: $2.77
This is a totally new recipe to me- I’ve never made it but the thought of a crockpot dessert is always enticing! I hope to give a glowing report later in the week!
Yum! Simple & Easy Chicken a la King
Chicken a la King½ cup diced green pepper and/or red pepper
1/3 cup chopped onion
¼ cup butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
¾ cup milk
2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
---- In skillet, sauté pepper and onion in butter. Stir in soup & milk; blend well. Stir in chicken and cheese. Cook for 5 minutes or until heated through.
Serve over biscuits.
Cost breakdown: diced green pepper (I won’t be using any red) 30 cents, onion is free from our garden, butter (1.68/pound) 42 cents, soup 47 cents, milk 13 cents (2.79/gallon), chicken $1.28 (using approx. 2 chicken breasts), cheddar cheese 87 cents (purchased 4 cups for $3.49). Biscuits- flaky biscuits in a tube (no time to make from scratch) $1.32.
Total cost: $4.79
This dish looks very pretty using both green and red peppers but I wasn’t willing to pay the outrageous price for the red peppers at the grocery store. You could also make it cheaper using cheaper pieces of chicken.
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