This cranberry fluff recipe makes a quick and easy salad or dessert for a side dish at a holiday meal. It’s even a good way to use up leftovers. It calls for a can of cranberry sauce but you can just use what you have left over, too.

Cranberry Fluff

1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits, drained
1 can (16 oz.) cranberry sauce
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping, thawed
1/2 cup nuts

Combine pineapple, cranberry sauce, oranges. Fold in whipped topping. Sprinkle with nuts

Photo By: Veganbaking.net

Related Photos

Tips:

• Cool weather is on its way, which means yummy soups and stews. If your children’s soup is too hot for them, add a few frozen vegetables to it. The veggies cook and, at the same time, it cools down the soup.
• For a quick and different dessert, top a brownie with ice cream. Then top it with chocolate syrup mixed with chunky peanut butter. You can add as little or as much as you want.

Menu:

Potato Flake Chicken Tenders*
Easy Vegetables*
French Fries
Soda Cracker Pie*

With football season here, this recipe will come in handy to serve not only for dinner but while watching the game.

Potato Flake Chicken Tenders

1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 (7.6 oz) pkg instant garlic flavor potatoes
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenders

While oil is heating in skillet on medium heat, beat egg and milk together in a bowl. On a piece of wax paper or a small plate, mix potatoes and seasonings. Dip chicken into milk mix; then roll in potato flakes. Fry 7-10 minutes, until golden. Drain on paper towels.

Note: You can add some Parmesan cheese or other seasonings you might like to the potato flakes. You can use regular instant potatoes and just add garlic powder to season them.

Easy Vegetables

Broccoli florets
Cauliflower florets
Green beans, with the ends trimmed
Red Pepper, cut into strips
Italian Dressing
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Take any amount of first three vegetables you want and drop into boiling water for 2 minutes or until they are bright in color and still crisp. Do not overcook. Drain immediately and rinse in cold water. Drain well. Add pepper strips, cover and chill. Before serving toss with dressing and cheese.

You can serve this pie with just whipped cream or you could leave out the nuts and top with lemon, blueberry, cherry or any other pie filling. You can also use Ritz, graham or saltine crackers in place of soda crackers or add chocolate chips. Someone suggested spreading it with jam and sprinkling with brown sugar.

Soda Cracker Pie

3  egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
20 soda crackers, finely crushed
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pecans or nuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (165 degrees C). Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold in all the rest of ingredients. Spoon into a greased 9 inch pie pan and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool.

For lots more quick and easy home cooked recipes, check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbook.

Photo By: Robert Banh

Related Photos

Tips:

• If you don’t have a garbage disposal, place a colander in your sink at the end of your meal before you rinse the dishes. Then all the food scraps are caught in the colander and you don’t need to clean out the drain.
• Keep baggies of frozen cookies and brownies in the freezer for kids’ or anyone’s lunches. Place the cookies or brownies in the lunch sack and, between them and a frozen drink, you don’t need to worry about the lunch staying nice and cold.

Menu:

One Pot Ham Dinner*
Fruit Salad
Apple Streusel Muffins*
Brownie Marshmallow Bars*

Recipes:

One Pot Ham Dinner

1 fully cooked ham slice (1- 1 1/2 lb.)
4 medium potatoes,sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups frozen cut green beans
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water

In a large skillet, brown ham slice over medium heat. Arrange potatoes over ham. Add salt and pepper. Top with beans and onions. Combine soup and water, and pour over everything. Cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45-50 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Makes 4 servings.

Apple Streusel Muffins

1 pkg. (6 1/2 oz.) apple cinnamon muffin mix
1 large apple, peeled and diced
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 1/2 tsp. flour
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Mix muffin mix according to package directions. Fold in apples and pour into greased muffin cups. Mix nuts, brown sugar, flour and butter and sprinkle some on each muffin. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Brownie Marshmallow Bars

1 pkg. fudge brownie mix
1 pkg. (10 1/2 oz.) mini marshmallows
2 cups (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 1/2 cup rice crispy cereal

Mix brownies according to package directions for fudge like brownies and pour into a 13×9 greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 28-30 minutes. Top with marshmallows and bake 3 minutes more. The marshmallows will not be completely melted. Cool.

Melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine and stir until smooth. Remove from heat. Add rice crispy cereal. Spread on brownies. Chill for 1-2 hours before cutting.

Photo By: Marshall Astor

Related Photos

Quick and Easy Bean Goulash Recipe

Has it been another one of those long, long days? Your 5 year old smashed a butterfly and rubbed in on his sister just to hear her scream. Your 4 year old dumped her chocolate milk all over the computer keyboard. Your 6 year old tried to see if his pet mouse would fit in the DVD player and your 7 year old just got off the phone with 911 asking them to send ambulance because he scraped his knee.

You collapse into a chair with a glazed look on your face where you husband later finds you mumbling to yourself, "Thank goodness I put dinner in the crock pot. Thank goodness…." We all have had those kinds of days.

Here is a really quick and easy crock pot recipe from our Dining on a Dime Cookbook for the next time you find yourself having a rough day!

Crockpot Bean Goulash

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. bacon
1 stalk celery
1 small onion
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans or 2 cups cooked beans
1 (15 oz.) can butter beans
1 (15 oz.) can pork and beans
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 cup barbecue sauce or ketchup
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Brown ground beef, bacon, celery and onion. If using canned beans, drain them. Mix the remaining ingredients together with the beef mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or put in the crockpot on low for 1-2 hours. Serves 8-10.

       -Jill

For more quick and easy recipes like this to make your life easier, check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbook!

Photo By: Tim Patterson

Related Photos

Tips:

• Quick Meatballs - add 2/3 cup of crushed seasoned stuffing mix to 1 lb. hamburger. Mix and roll into balls.
• Use up stir fry leftovers by adding a little soy sauce to the vegetables and rice. Then spread the mixture on a warm flour tortilla and roll burrito style.
• Keep a plastic knife in your canisters to level off things like flour or sugar.

Menu:

Confetti Chicken and Rice*
Garlic – Cheese Biscuits*
Frozen Fruit Fluff*

Recipes:

This recipe is especially quick if you use leftover chicken and rice in it. I call this type of recipe a dump and mix recipe. It calls for a lot of ingredients but is simple because you are just opening a lot of cans. It could be mixed up ahead of time to pop in the oven when you need it.

Confetti Chicken and Rice

1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
3 cups chicken, cooked, cubed
3 cups rice, cooked
1 1/2 cup Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies
1 can (2 1/4 oz.) sliced ripe olives, drained
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 cup crushed corn chips
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped

Blend first 4 ingredients well. Add in next 6 ingredients. Pour into a greased 2 quart baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Just before serving, top with corn chips, lettuce and tomatoes.

Garlic – Cheese Biscuits
(from the Dining on a Dime Cookbook)

2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. chives (optional)
3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, grated finely
4 Tbsp. shortening
1 cup milk or sour milk

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, chives and Cheddar cheese in a bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or fork until it resembles cornmeal. Add milk, stirring just enough to combine ingredients. Do not over stir. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookies sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 10 biscuits.

Note: You could add bits of bacon or pepperoni to this recipe, too.

Frozen Fruit Fluff

3 medium firm bananas, sliced
1 can (29 oz.) peach halves, drained and diced
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 carton (8 oz.) whipped topping

Combine everything but whipped topping and mix well. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into a 13×9 pan. Cover and freeze for 8 hours or overnight. Will keep in freezer 1 month.

For more quick and easy menus like these to help you make dinner quickly without stressing over making your own menus, check out our Menus On A Dime e-books!

Photo By: ohmeaghan

Related Photos

Tips:

• To keep French bread from going stale, slice it, place it back in the wrapper and freeze. Take out just the amount you need when you’re ready to use it. I especially like doing this because the frozen French bread is much easier to butter before placing in foil to warm in the oven.
• Add vanilla pudding to any cake mix (or chocolate pudding to chocolate cake mix) for a more homemade tasting cake.
• To stretch canned frosting, add a package of softened cream cheese. You can also add cream cheese to cut the sweetness of any frosting.

Menu:

Fillet Bundles*
French Bread
Bacon Wrapped Corn*
Easy Macaroons*

Recipes:

Fillet Bundles

4 (6 oz. each) fresh or frozen fish fillets, thawed
Parmesan cheese, grated
Cayenne pepper
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 small sweet red pepper, julienned
Salt

Place fish on heavy foil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper. Top with zucchini and pepper. Salt to taste. Seal up in foil. Grill covered over indirect heat for about 8-10 minutes until fish is flaky.

Bacon Wrapped Corn

Large ears of corn, husks removed
Bacon
Chili Powder

Wrap each ear of corn with bacon and sprinkle with chili powder. Wrap well in heavy foil. Grill uncovered for 20 minutes over medium heat until corn is tender and bacon is cooked. Turn once.

Easy Macaroons*

1 pint pineapple or orange sherbet, softened
2 tsp. almond extract
1 package (18 1/3 oz.) white cake mix
6 cups flaked coconut

Mix sherbet, almond extract and cake mix well. Stir in coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Makes about 6 dozen.

Photo By: Gudlyf

Related Photos

Menu: Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Pasta Salad

Tips:

• Creamy mac and cheese. The next time you make macaroni and cheese, use sour cream instead of milk. It makes the macaroni and cheese so much creamier. This works great for other things, too. I often use sour cream in recipes when I find I am out of milk.

• Leftover rice. If you have leftover rice, use it to make pancakes. Mix with 1-2 beaten eggs then drop by spoonfuls on a greased skillet. Cook both sides until lightly brown and serve with maple syrup.

• Bacon is getting expensive but we do so love it. Today’s recipe gives you one good way to stretch your bacon. You can use less bacon by crumbling it in this salad than if you were making real bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches.

  Here is another example of how to stretch your bacon: This recipe is great for after school snacks, to include with soups, stews, chili or salads or to round off any meal.

  Bacon/Cheese Toast

  Mix some grated cheese with mayonnaise and a little crumbled bacon. Spread on a slice of French bread and bake at 425 degrees for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

Menu:

BLT Pasta Salad*
Peas
Herbed French Bread*
Bing Cherry Dessert*

Recipes:

BLT Pasta Salad

This recipe has no real measurements. You can add as little or much of each ingredient as you like.

Spiral pasta (or your favorite pasta), cooked
Bacon, cooked and crumbled
Tomatoes, chopped
Miracle Whip dressing
Lettuce

Mix everything together and toss with dressing. Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Herbed French Bread

1 loaf French bread
1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup minced chives

Cut bread into 1 inch slices. Combine butter and herbs and spread over one side of bread. Broil until golden brown.

Bing Cherry Dessert

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
7 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 can (16 1/2 oz.) pitted dark sweet cherries, drained
1 (8 oz.) container whipped topping
1 cup nuts
1/2 cup vanilla wafer or cookie crumbs

Combine milk and lemon juice. Fold in remaining ingredients, except crumbs. Spread on ungreased 11x7x2 dish. Sprinkle with crumbs. Cover and freeze overnight. Remove from freezer 15 minutes before cutting.

Photo By: Lara604

Related Photos

Tips:

• When making your favorite fruit punch, add a package of unsweetened lemonade flavored soft drink mix to it for an extra kick.
• School is almost here and that means many school lunches and the favorite peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When making PB&Js, use frozen bread and spread a thin layer of peanut butter on each slice. Then spread jelly on one of the slices. This keeps the bread from getting soggy with jelly and makes the peanut butter easier to spread.
• Remove the end of a 10 3/4 oz. can of soup and use the empty can for a biscuit or cookie cutter. The edges are slightly sharper than the edges on a glass and it works well for cutting biscuits and cookies.

Menu:

Spaghetti Pizza*
Confetti Salad*
Garlic Bread
Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball*

Recipes:

This recipe is from a reader (dd) and is a great way to use leftover spaghetti.

Spaghetti Pizza

1/2 lb. spaghetti noodles, cooked
1 egg, beaten with a fork
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 jar (16 oz.) spaghetti sauce

Mix noodles, egg and cheese. Place in a well greased 9 inch pie pan (You can double it and put it in 9×13 pan). Pour spaghetti sauce on it and top with any of the following:

Favorite seasonings – oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper
Onions, chopped
Cottage cheese
Ground beef, cooked
Pepperoni slices
Mozzarella cheese
Favorite pizza toppings

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot and cheeses are melted.

Confetti Salad

6 cups salad greens, cut into bites sized pieces
1 can (2 1/4 oz.) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 small red onion, sliced
1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
Italian or dressing of your choice

Toss everything in a bowl and serve with dressing. Makes 8-10 servings.

Who says cheese balls are just for Christmas? Here is another easy dessert that won’t heat up your kitchen. Serve it with regular or chocolate grahams.

Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts, finely chopped

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until fluffy. Add sugars and mix. Stir in chocolate chips. Chill 2 hours. Lay on plastic wrap and roll into a ball. Chill 1 hour. Just before serving, roll in nuts.

Photo By: dbgg1979

Related Photos

Here are some of our homemade seasoning recipes from the Dining on a Dime Cookbook:

Seasoned Salt

8 Tbsp. salt
1/2 Tbsp. onion powder
3 Tbsp. pepper
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. paprika

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container.

Taco Seasoning

6 tsp. chili powder
3 tsp. onion powder
4 1/2 tsp. cumin
2 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
5 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container. One teaspoon of homemade taco seasoning equals 2 teaspoons of the store-bought seasoning.

Italian Seasoning

1/4 cup dried basil
2 Tbsp. dried thyme
2 Tbsp. dried marjoram
2 Tbsp. dried rosemary
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. dried coriander
1 tsp. sugar

Combine all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 3 months.

Photo By: Mr. T in DC

Related Photos