Middle Class Beans and Rice

Michelle, from Polka Dots and Stripes, came up with this recipe, I think, and its really yummy!  Hubbie and I nicknamed it "middle class" beans and rice, because its not the beans and rice you always hear about on Dave Ramsey's show.  This is definitely "more expensive" but still a cheap and hearty meal.

1 lb of ground beef
1 can of Bush's Grillin' Beans- Black Bean Fiesta
Rice, cooked, enough for your family

Brown the ground beef, drain fat and added a can of Bush's Grillin' Beans, Black Bean Fiesta.  Stir and simmer until chili like.  Serve on top of a bowl of rice.  We usually serve with warm cornbread on the side.  Yum!

Southwest Batter Bake from E-Mealz

While recovering from number four c-section, a friend from MOPS brought us dinner that had been on her E-Mealz Low Fat (I believe) menu.  It was very yummy and kinda different which made it nice!

Note: We don't use fat free milk or egg substitute, so I'll be using regular eggs and our non homogenized, local dairy milk.  I am assuming it'll turn out the same!

1.5 lbs boneless skinless chkn breasts

1/2 packet of taco seasoning

(4c cooked rice)

15 oz can pinto beans w/ some juice

1/2 bunch green onions, diced

1 large tomato, diced

15 oz can corn, drained

(Salsa, FF sour cream) optional

8 oz. box cornbread mix

(Egg sub, FF milk)

Layer in 13x9:  rice, beans, green onions, tomatoes, chicken- (sprinkle with taco seasoning), corn, and then corn bread batter.  Substitute egg sub and FF milk in cornbread batter.  Bake at 350 for 25-35 min, until cornbread is done.  Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Amy's Banana Bread

Amy's Banana Bread

For years I made a certain banana bread recipe and I guess in one of the moves or busyness with adding babies, I lost or misplaced it or forgot which one I used.  I loved the recipe and hadn't really been able to duplicate it until, a friend, Amy brought over a loaf one morning for us.  The boys begged for some at lunch time and I realized it was a hit!  Amy's recipe is now ours!  

Cream together:  1 cup of sugar and 1 stick of butter.  Add 2 cups of flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 2 eggs and 4 mushy bananas.  Pour into greased loaf pan.  Bake 350 degrees for 65-70 mins.  

Momma's Chicken Pot Pie

My mom's chicken pot pie is SO good!  I still remember the first time I made it for Hubbie.... he wasn't liking the idea of a non-traditional chicken pot pie ( a pot pie without a bottom crust AND a top crust), but I won him over and he always goes back for seconds!  Its so warm and such a yummy comfort food!  It freezes well too!  So, here is the recipe!

Pot Pie:
Chicken (I usually eye ball this part... if I have a couple of chicken breasts I'll boil those and shred them)
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
1 can of cream of chicken
1 bag of frozen veggies
Stir all this together and dump into a casserole dish.  Usually a 9x11 is too big.  So something square but pretty deep is good.  I have a round casserole dish that has tall sides and thats what I use for our chicken pot pie.

Topping:
1 cup of flour
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. pepper
1 t. salt
1 cup of milk
1 stick of butter, melted
Mix all this together....might be lumpy, so I use a wisk.... and pour over the pot pie mixture.

Bake 425 for 34-40 mins.  :o)  And enjoy!!

Hubbie's Chili

When Hubbie and I first got married, all he ever raved about was his family, or maybe its his Dad's?, chili.  He finally had a chance to make it and it was yummy!  Along the years, Hubbie and I have added our own "special" ingredients to make it "Hubbie's chili" and its still quite yummy!  We do cheat and use a little can called "chili magic".  We really wish we could get away from using that jar, but its just too easy to use it with all the spices and seasonings in it!  Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to try to make it from scratch!  So, here it is.... enjoy!



1 can of Chili Magic, traditional
1 lb of browned, ground beef
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
a few dashes of cayenne pepper
a few dashes of green tabasco


Follow the directions on the back of the chili magic can (which I believe is brown and drain the ground beef, saute the onions and then add the can of tomatoes and chili magic!  Now...start dumping!  I've done this next part in the slow cooker or on the stove... so either works... basically you just want it to cook and simmer.  So, add the rinsed kidney beans and black beans to the pot.  Stir.  And then add the few dashes of cayenne pepper and tabasco.  Stir and let simmer.  :o)  If its too thick, I'll fill up one of the bean cans or Chili Magic can with water and dump it in the pot.  And thats it!  And its tasty!

New Sloppy Joes

I wasn't raised on a tomato based sloppy joe, so one day when making a menu I asked Hubbie if he'd like to try something new.  So we searched around online and found this recipe.  They were so yummy!   Hubbie did them for us and he did a great job!


Homemade Sloppy Joes  


1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
Small onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. salt (to me, it DOES NOT need more salt! )  
3/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbspoon of Worcestershire sauce   
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 sm. bell pepper, chopped


Brown ground beef.  Drain.  Add onions, bell pepper and add seasoning.  Add tomato sauce rinsing the can with a small amount of water.  Bring to boil, then cut heat down simmer 30 mins.  Serve on hamburger buns.  


And if you're curious, I grew up with this sloppy joe....



Mom's Sloppy Joes

1 lb ground beef
1 can of french onion soup


Brown ground beef.  Drain.  Add soup can.  Simmer until thick.  Serve on hamburger buns.  

Enjoy!

Buggy's Birthday Cupcakes

A year or two ago my parents bought me the book Hello, Cupcake! since I had taken a cake decorating class and enjoyed it.  The book has a lot of cute decorating ideas and recipes.  A few weeks ago we made the chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing.  They were SO good!  The kind of good that you have to use all the will power you can to not polish off the plate!  Hubbie took the remainder to work so that we wouldn't be tempted!  For Buggy's birthday, we decided to try out the carrot cake with cream cheese icing!  Also delicious!  This cream cheese doesn't have a "after taste or bite" to it.  I think the butter helps mellow it out.  Whatever the reason, this is  definitely a family favorite!

Carrot Cake 


2 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg 

2 large eggs

1 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of lightly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup of oil

1/4 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 

1 1/2 cups of grated carrots (about 4) 

1/2 cup of dark raisins

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

1.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

3. In another bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat the eggs, brown sugar, sugar, oil and milk until light and thick. 

4. Reduce speed to low and add the flour mixture, beating just until blended.  Stir in vanilla and carrots until well blended (and raisins and walnuts if adding)

5. Bake until golden  and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 22 mins.  Remove and cool.  

Cream Cheese Icing 

1 package of cream cheese (8 oz), softened

1 stick (8 tblspoons) of unsalted butter, softened

1 box of confectioners sugar 

2-3 tablespoons of milk 

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl.  Beat with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 mins.

2. Gradually add the sugar and 2 tablespoons of milk and beat until smooth.  Add vanilla.  And add remaining 1 tablespoon of milk if the mixture is too thick.  

Buggy is what we call our youngest son and I figured bugs made out of candy would be appropriate for his celebration!  Everyone Our oldest sons enjoyed the candy!

The icing and both cake recipes that we've made are SO good!  Once you eat these homemade cakes, you will never be able to go back to a box cake or tub of icing!  I really wish I could "go back" sometimes, because it would make things a lot quicker and easier...... but once you eat one of these YOU DON'T want to go back to any store bought cake!  Delicious!!!

Cheap and Delicious Granola

One day while blog hopping, I came across a blog that offered "e-books" for free.  The books were all about meal planning and special tips to make feeding your family a little easier and lighter on the budget.  I usually pass over these, because most times I don't learn too much new...not to sound like a snob, but unfortunately, you can't get blood from a turnip.  Everything that we can/want to do, we do.  But I did go ahead and sign up for the Minute with Molly Newsletter that promises to give frugal tips, because I wanted the e-book!

The e-book is definitely worth it.  You do have to download it, of course, and print if you want a paper copy, but I have been very impressed with the spreadsheets and recipes.  One of the recipes that I already tried out was the Yummy Homemade Granola on page 32.  Its so delicious!  Not sure of the cost to make a batch.  I made a half of a batch to test it out.  I added raisins and flax seed.  I gotta say, adding flax seed is such a simple way to add a little more fiber in your food.  You can hardly tell its there and when its toasted, as it is in this granola, it adds a great texture!  :o)

Yummy Homemade Granola  

 1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
8 cups oatmeal (quick oats)

In a large, 4-quart saucepan, melt the margarine or butter and the brown sugar

together. Stir it up and let it simmer for a few minutes (2-3 minutes). Add the salt and

cinnamon, then the oatmeal. Remove pot from heat and stir until all the oatmeal is

coated. Spread the granola onto 2 cookie sheets (with sides) and bake at 375° for 10

minutes, until golden brown. Cool granola completely on pan, then break up into pieces

and transfer to a container. Add raisins or nuts if desired.

For us, since we only made a half batch, we substituted about a 1/2 cup of the oatmeal for the flax seed.  It turned out dry for some reason.  It was still good and tasted like the kind that you buy at the store, just didn't harder as much as the recipe said it would.  Maybe the flax seed changed that.  I'm sure there is something online about adding flax seed and maybe adding more liquid, but again, it worked fine!  The big kids even asked for some of this!!  

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Check out my main blog today to find a thrifty cookie recipe!  :o)  Go here to check it out!  

Best Ever!

Sometimes you happen across one of those blogs that you could read forever... well.... Like Merchant Ships is one of those and sadly, some blogs don't last forever!  One of the best things I read during Meredith's regular blogging was her cobbler recipe!  Oh my goodness!  This is scrumptious AND quick AND easy!  I'm sure I've posted this before, because this is the 4th summer I've used her delicious recipe!!!  I decided to share it today since I am making this for our 4th of July dessert!

First, toss the berries or chopped fruit with 1/4 cup sugar (if needed).

Preheat the oven to 350 while the fruit releases its juice.

Next, melt one stick butter or margarine in a casserole dish (8 x 10 or 8 x 8).

Simply double this recipe for use in larger baking dishes.

While the butter melts, combine dry ingredients with milk:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2/3 cup milk

Pour batter over the butter. Don't mix!

Spoon fruit over the batter. Don't stir! Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Serve with ice cream!!!

Squash Casserole

Tonight we had a delicious meal.  Bubbie pronounced it a "yucky" dinner.  Oh well......  I don't always aim to please, I guess. Tonights dinner was an E-Mealz meal that Hubbie and I really like- meatloaf, green beans, squash casserole and biscuits!  Yummy!  Yummy! But the squash casserole was a new menu item and I think it was a hit!  At least with Hubbie and myself.... the kids?  not so much!  Oh well!  I did convince Bubbie to eat all of his saying that it DID have cheese and Ritz crackers in it!!!  The casserole was really sweet and reminded me of a corn casserole that I've had before.  

Squash Casserole 

1lb of squash, sliced thinly

1/2 cup of diced onion

1 can of cream of mushroom

1/4 cup of sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers, crumbled up

1 cup of cheddar cheese

Melt butter in large skillet. Add squash & onion. Season w/ salt &

pepper. Cook until squash is tender. Set aside. Mix together eggs &

mushroom soup. Add squash mixture. Stir in ¼ c sugar & crushed

crackers. Pour into greased 2 qt baking dish. Top w/ shredded cheese.

Bake at 350º for 30 minutes, until set.

Lu's Notes: 

I did not use as much onion as they called for.  I thought I had plenty of onion, but realized that all of the onion had gone bad, so I only had a tiny bit leftover.  Also, I didn't realize that the recipe called for cheese, so my block of cheese was in the freezer until about 5 mins before I needed it.  Ooops!  So, I did not use anywhere CLOSE to 1 cup of cheese.  Its just for the topping anyway, so I just did enough to cover the top lightly.... the block was frozen, so I was lucky I got what I did get!  

Sugar Daddy à la Mode

Sugar Daddy à la Mode

I noticed the free and easy dessert recipe a week ago on the E-Mealz website and thought that the recipe looked like something my family would enjoy!  Then, when we were invited to my parents house to celebrate my brother's 25th birthday and Father's Day, I offered to make this!  

The dessert was super easy to make!  We had several things in the list of ingredients already, so it was a very inexpensive dessert for me to make!  The recipe makes a large 9 x 13 dessert and it is SO SO SO rich, you just can't stomach a very large portion!  

To get your free dessert recipe, go to E-Mealz and scroll down to the middle of the page.  On the left hand side you will see a button where you can enter your email address and it will be emailed to you!  Its gooey with lots of caramel and chocolate!!!
Hope you enjoy!

Also, don't forget that until June 30th you can get $2 your subscription to E-Mealz by using the code SHOESTRING.  If you want to know more about E-Mealz, a JoAnna wrote a great blog post about it here.

Blueberry Apple Crisp

I have fresh, hand-picked blueberries in my fridge and I couldn't wait to try this recipe here.  Let me tell you- it was DE-LIC-IOUS!  Hubbie even went back for seconds!  He doesn't do THAT often!

I didn't really change the recipe too much.  I didn't use as many apples and they weren't Granny Smith.  Oh and I didn't do nutmeg either...  Not sure why.  Just not a fan!?!  Anyway... here is MY version of this yummy dessert!  And don't forget the ice cream on top!  YUM-O!

3-4 small apples, diced
1 cup of blueberries
2/3 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of old fashioned oats
1/3 cup of butter, softened
3/4 tea of cinnamon

Spray non-stick cooking spray in an 8x8 baking dish.  Diced up apples  and line the bottom of the casserole dish.  Sprinkle washed blueberries on top of the apples.  Mix the remaining ingredients to make the "crisp" topping and sprinkle on top.  Bake 375 until topping is brown and "hardened".

E-Mealz French Club Sandwiches

This is our version of a menu item from a past E-Mealz meal plan.  Pair these yummy sandwiches with some chips, carrots and dip!  Quite a tasty lunch!

French Club Sandwiches 

Deli ham, sliced 

2 tbspoons of soften cream cheese

1 tbspoons of mayo 

1/4 cup of finely chopped onion

1/2 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Potato rolls 

Combine cream cheese and mayo.  Split potato rolls and place opened on a baking sheet.  Spread cream cheese/mayo spread on cut sides of rolls.  Place ham, onion and cheese on top and put into warm oven- long enough for cheese to melt.  And EAT!  

Typical Birthday Cake?

If you know me, you know that the majority of the time I am the over-acheiever and don't enjoy being "like everyone else"....and Hubbie's birthday cake was no exception.

A few weeks ago I began to bug Hubbie about his birthday cake.  I knew he had talked about several, but I didn't know if he had made his final pick.  On his actual birthday (after working 180 hrs over the previous 2 wks) he got home and I actually cornered him and got his pick.  It was decadent.  It was "semi- involved".

We made it to the store that evening and got the ingredients....

These two things are the main ingredients.  Hubbie's favorites!  Yum!

Yes, it tasted as good as it looked!  And just in case you aren't truly appreciating the awesome-ness of this.... 

  

Here it is again....

And again......

Hubbie's cake was a hit and I was glad Hubbie enjoyed it!  

Go here to see the original cake and to find the recipe.  You will not be disappointed!

Upside Down Pizza

This recipe is an E-Mealz meal and it was delicious!  And so easy!  Of course, I had to tweak it a bit, but Bubbie and Peanut gobbled it up which means it was a winner!  Add a salad to this dish and its a quick night's dinner!

Upside Down Pizza 


1 can of crescent rolls
1 jar/can of pizza sauce (at least 13 oz- I used a 15 oz jar and didn't have too much sauce)
1 cup of sour cream
meat/toppings of your choice
8 oz of mozzarella cheese


Prep your sauce.  I buy a canned pizza sauce at Publix.  Its so good with chopped up pieces of tomato and herbs... something you would find on your pizza at a "real" Italian pizza place and I have no clue what its called, but so much better than using the jar sauces or spaghetti sauce.  Anyway, prep your sauce.  If you want hamburger, cook that and then add your sauce to the skillet.  Use a 9 x 13 pan and pour and spread your sauce into the pan.  Then layer- just like you would a pizza- I did pepperonis but if I had known how good this was going to be, I would have prepped broccoli, olives and some onions.  Man! That would have been tasty!  So, next is a cup of sour cream, spread on top of the "toppings" and sauce.  Then sprinkle 8 oz of mozzarella cheese over the sour cream.  I did not use 8 oz, but I am stingy cheap when it comes to cheese!  I probably used over of the 8 oz block of cheese.  You really can't go wrong with this dinner, so whatever you're feeling- do it!  Then unroll the crescent rolls and place on top.  I went ahead and rolled out the crescent rolls on the counter top, pushed the edges together so that it would be a long pastry topping.  Bake 20-30 mins on 350 degrees!  


I probably did this meal for around $5-$7.00- of course we will eat it for 2 meals... hopefully, unless I think about it for lunch tomorrow!!! 

Another Family Favorite

Tonight's dinner was a rip-roaring success and the kids gobbled it up!  All thanks go to Ragu for making providing this recipe just when this tired Momma need it!  

I love this recipe because it has all my "pantry" staples- noodles, meat, cheese and sauce and after a week day like today, I needed something quick, easy and mindless!

Skillet Pasta and Beef Dinner

Get out one large skillet/pan.  Brown 1lb. ground beef, add 1 jar of spaghetti sauce and 2 cups of water.  Stir and add a box of noodles(I did corkscrew noodles).  Stir occasionally so it won't stick.  Let simmer for 10-15 mins.  Add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Allow cheese to melt.  And EAT with bread and a salad!!!  (follow the link here to get the FULL recipe!)  


Low down- While devouring my second large plate of pasta(maybe Bubba was right)?!  , I tried to think about how much I spent on this meal.  We ate half of the dish, so we will have leftovers tomorrow night.  I spent a little less than $3 on the 1 lb of meat at Publix.  The box of noodles was 30 cents (sale at Publix with coupon).  The jar of sauce was about a dollar or so (also on sale at Publix- B1G1 free with coupon).... so add the can of crescent rolls and a salad, its probably $8-$10 for two dinners for our family.  Not bad!

A big thanks to Ragu for having all day commercials on Nick@Nite.  :o)


I was not paid or given anything for doing this blog post.... 

A Family Favorite

About 9 months ago, Hubbie and I were searching for a bread recipe.  

We enjoyed the flavor of our bread that we were making, but it didn't do so well as sandwich bread.  It did not toast.  The more research we did, the more we learned about the "art of baking bread".  We realized in order to make "true" whole wheat sandwich bread, we would have to purchase certain ingredients that weren't always handy to get to.  

So, the search was on for something that was fabulous, easy, quick, cheap.... ya know?!  All the things that you want in homemade bread!  

In steps, Suzanne McMinn and her blog Chickens in the Road.

Can we say FABULOUS?!  We quickly tried her Grandmother's Bread recipe.  Hands down- it was a WINNER!  The family LOVED it and it quickly became our favorite bread!

This weekend my husband attempted my birthday cake request- Italian Cream Cake.

Oh my!  Be still my heart!  Best birthday cake EVER!  Moist, recipe, cream cheese iciing... 

YUM-O!  Worthy of Paula Dean!  

We have tried several "Chickens in the Road" recipes and every single time- its a winner!  We always seem to check this blog first when searching for a recipe.  

Now, 9 months later, my husband only makes Suzanne McMinn's bread recipe... sometimes twice a week.  We love her bread that much!  

We love Chickens in the Road....

Crunchy Chicken Casserole

Last week I offered to bring a girlfriend and her family dinner.  She has an amazing story of God's blessing and provisions.  Her and her husband have 3 children and they are in the process of moving to a beautiful, new house.  I wanted to do something to bless her and her family, because she is always so thoughtful and helps me out with taking Bubbie to school.

When I asked what she wanted, she mentioned that her family loves poppyseed chicken without the poppyseeds.  Her family calls this "Crunchy Chicken".  I had a recipe on my E-Mealz menu from a few weeks ago that I had never made, so I decided to test the recipe out on her family.  That could have been a disaster, huh?!  

Thankfully the recipe turned out really good!  

Crunchy Chicken Casserole

Take 3-4 breasts of cooked and shredded chicken and spread in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Then combine 8oz of sour cream and 2 cans of cream of chicken.  Let me just stop you here and let you know that this meal has no "redeeming" qualities.  Nothing in it is healthy, low fat or low sodium.  It is absolutely WONDERFUL, but not healthy AT ALL.  Then pour the mixture over the chicken (I actually used a tad bit less than what this made- I just eyeballed it.) Crumble a sleeve of Ritz crackers over the casserole dish.  Pour a stick of butter over the top. Bake on 350 degrees until hot and bubbly.

I split this casserole between her family and mine because I knew they were moving the next day and didn't need any leftovers, so you could easily get two meals out of this dish.

I paired the casserole with some white rice, green beans or broccoli and then a loaf of my husband's homemade bread.

Congrats to my sweet friend on the new home!  

Praying many years of the warmest memories in your new home. 

Biscuits

I have been making a biscuit recipe in an old cook book for a while.  I decided to make these tonight and they were very yummy!