How To Save Money On Groceries without going crazy!
You can save money on groceries and lower your stress with our easy recipes and tips to save more and eat better!
Most people inadvertently waste a lot of money on food because they just don’t see where the money is going. Do you often find yourself so busy and stressed out that you grab fast food for the kids because it seems easier? Do you often find yourself ordering take out pizza because it just seems too difficult to plan meals when you’re tired?
Your family can only eat fast food and pizza so much before it becomes a stale habit and the cost really adds up! It can become a vicious circle where the stress saving convenience is actually causing your stress.
Why spend a fortune eating out when you can make healthier and delicious meals faster and a LOT cheaper than eating out?! If you don’t have a lot of experience cooking or if you’re not confident in your cooking skills, you will love our easy dinner recipes!
It’s easy to imagine making dinner to be a difficult chore, but it doesn’t have to be! Grandma knew how to make delicious meals everyone loved and how to make them easy. Our site is full of easy recipes you can use to save money on groceries. Not only that, you can reduce stress and eat better food.
Saving Money On Groceries is not just about recipes…
Yes, you will find a lot of great recipes here, but you’ll also find lots of easy tips to easily cut your grocery bill in half! There are so many ways you can save money on groceries that are super easy to implement. Many of them involve cutting costs you will never miss and reducing waste.
If you’re spending too much on your food bill, here are some easy ways to save money on groceries! Most people spend too much because they don’t know these simple tips!
If you are a frugal beginner, try these simple suggestions for saving on your food bill:
Cooking frugally is like changing your diet. You need to learn gradually how to save money and cook frugally. Don’t expect that you will get your food bill down to $300 for four people in the first month if you are spending $600 a month right now.
Try cutting just $25.00 or $50.00 a month. Even if you cut back only $50.00 a month, you will save $600.00 a year. If you save just $1.00 a day that is $365.00 a year. You can then apply that $365.00 a year to paying off your credit cards. At 21 percent interest, you will save over $70 a year. This will eventually cause a snowball effect since the more you pay off, the less you pay to interest. When you pay less to interest, you have more each month to apply to paying off your overall debt. This means that as you pay off the debt, the rate that you can pay it off increases.
Before you shop, take a tour through your pantry and your refrigerator. Be organized! Don’t buy what’s already hiding in your kitchen.
If you’re a fan of coupons, remember this: It’s not what you save, it’s what you spend. If you save 30 cents on something you wouldn’t ordinarily buy anyway, you haven’t really saved anything.
A typical fruit item is significantly larger than one serving. Most people would be just as happy eating a small apple as eating a large one — so buy smaller fruits! You will save money by the pound.
You can also try allowing one glass of juice at meal times. Then serve water after the juice is gone.
You save over $500.00 a year by cutting just one glass of juice per person per day for a family of four.
Don’t assume that homemade is cheaper. If you get a VERY GOOD deal on chocolate chips and ingredients for candies, it is cheaper to make them than buying them pre-made. Make sure you do the calculations, though! If you don’t purchase them on sale, homemade candies can be more expensive than candies purchased at the store.
Stop wasting food. Give young children small portions. They can always have more if they are still hungry. Give them a half glass of juice and a half sandwich so you don’t waste uneaten food. Put food in the refrigerator right after the meal so it doesn’t spoil. Use leftovers for lunches, in other dishes or frozen in one portion sizes for a quick meal.
Don’t buy everything at one store. Prices vary greatly from one store to the next. Go to different stores to buy only their sale items. You will save more than the cost of your gas. It usually only takes half an hour to 45 minutes per store to get the items that are on sale including driving time. If you save a minimum of $20-$30 per trip, it is like “earning” $40-$60 an hour. If you save $60 spending one hour going to two different stores, it is four extra hours you might not have to work to pay for that same food purchased at the regular price.
Even if you earn significantly more now, the math doesn’t change. Paying off one year’s income over five years is very achievable when you control everyday expenses—especially groceries. The higher your income, the easier it becomes if you avoid lifestyle creep and put those dollars to work intentionally.
Keeping our grocery budget low was one of the key ways we made it happen. Small, consistent savings added up month after month—and they can for you, too. When cutting your grocery bill, it’s the little things that add up.
One of the easiest places in your family budget to save money is on your food bill! Here are 6 simple, practical ways to cut your grocery bill and take control of your food spending. This post shares real-life strategies for frugal beginners, plus an easy, budget-friendly Green Chile recipe that shows how small changes can lead to big savings!
6 Ways To Save On Your Grocery Bill
For many people, making the decision to switch from two incomes to one can be a scary experience. You may know you’re spending too much, but figuring out where to start cutting back can be intimidating..
Most people don’t think they can live the frugal life and still be comfortable. I currently feed my family of 4 on $400 per month. Back when we were first married, my husband earned an average of $22,000 per year over 5 years. During that same time, we paid off $20,000 in debt. Today, that means these same ideas can help you pay off debt equal to nearly a year’s income—simply by making small, consistent changes.ears.
There are countless ways to save money, but if you’re new to frugal living, it’s best to start with simple, manageable steps. Your grocery bill is one of the easiest places to see quick results.
Before you shop, take a tour through your pantry and your refrigerator. Be organized!
Don’t buy what’s already hiding in your kitchen.
If you are a fan of coupons, remember this: It’s not what you save, it’s what you spend. If you save 30 cents on something you wouldn’t ordinarily buy anyway, you haven’t really saved anything.
A typical fruit item is significantly larger than one serving. Most people would be just as happy eating a small apple as eating a large one — so buy smaller fruits!
This month, try two meatless meals a week. Try one or two meatless meals each week. When you do use meat, treat it as an ingredient rather than the main dish. Recipes like the Green Chile below stretch as little as ½–1 pound of meat into multiple meals.
Cut back on the juice and milk. Reducing juice and milk purchases can free up money to buy sale items, which can help lower your grocery bill even more next month.
Thicken with flour or cornstarch so it is like a thick soup.
Spoon about 1/4 cup into the center of a flour tortilla.
Roll up tortilla.
Top with more green chile.
Sprinkle with cheese, lettuce and tomato.
Top with sour cream, if desired.
This green chile freezes really well.
Notes
This easy green chile recipe calls for pork, but I also occasionally make it with cubed cooked chicken.
This recipe is a great way to use leftover pork or chicken.
If you like, you can make the green chile and instead of serving wrapped in a tortilla, you can use to pour over your favorite Mexican dishes like burritos or enchiladas.
This green chile recipe is also good served over rice and garnished with the cheese, lettuce and other toppings.
Staying home and managing your budget isn’t about making drastic sacrifices—it’s about realizing that small changes add up over time. It’s the little things that really add up!
You can make fresh, delicious homemade bread! These step by step instructions, homemade bread recipes and easy tips will help you learn to do it!
How To Make Homemade Bread – Baking Basics
Here are some easy tips about how to make homemade bread. Don’t let all this information make it seem too difficult. Once you get used to it, it really isn’t much harder to make homemade bread than to bake a cake. Just read the information and then follow the recipe step by step.
I once read a book by an older woman about how to bake a pie. She said bake one every day for 2 weeks and at the end of that time you will know how to bake a pie.
That rule applies for many things, including bread baking. It may seem a little difficult at first, but after you have made bread 14 times, you will get more confident.
How To Proof The Yeast
Before baking your bread, it is good to proof the yeast. Proofing is a way to test to see if your yeast is viable. Then you don’t go to the trouble of making bread and wasting ingredients if the yeast is dead. Proofing the yeast also gives the bread a better start.
Unless the homemade bread recipe states otherwise, heat 1/4-1/2 cup of the water to 120-130° or until it is hot when you put your finger in it but not so hot that it burns.
The water can’t be too hot or too cold. This is one of the most important parts of making the bread. If it it too cold, the yeast will not fully activate and if it is too hot, the yeast will die. In either case, the bread will not turn out the way it should. With practice and time, you will learn to tell when you have the correct temperature.
When the water is hot enough, add part of the sugar (about 2 Tbsp.) to the water and then the yeast. You add sugar because yeast feeds on sugar.
The yeast should start foaming, which tells you it’s good. It also means that you haven’t gotten the water too hot.
If nothing happens, your yeast is dead for one reason or another so you need to get some new yeast or try it again with a different water temperature.
Some recipes direct you to add the yeast with the flour and other ingredients, so you can’t proof the yeast. That’s OK because those recipes make up for it by calling for you to mix the ingredients with a mixer.
Before I share the homemade bread recipe, here are some useful tips for baking bread:
You don’t always have to use as much yeast as the recipe calls for. If a bread recipe calls for 2 packages of yeast and it makes 2 loaves of regular bread, you can usually just use 1 package to save a little.
If you plan on making bread on a regular basis, you might want to buy yeast in bulk or in the jars because it is much less expensive.
When you can, add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of mashed potatoes to your bread recipe. Alternatively, you can use water you have used to cook your potatoes in place of regular water. Yeast loves potatoes and the more it eats, the bigger it grows, making the bread lighter and fluffier.
Never add salt with your yeast and water. The salt will kill the yeast.
Start with all of the ingredients for your homemade bread at room temperature. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator and let them warm up to room temperature ahead of time.
If the recipe says to add enough flour to make a stiff dough, just add the flour until it is slightly sticky. Then put the last 1/2 cup or so of flour on your kneading surface and knead the last of the flour into the bread. If you get too much flour in the recipe, it makes the bread tough.
(When making homemade bread, beginners sometimes put in all the flour that the recipe calls for and then add MORE flour on the board to knead it, causing the dough to get too stiff.)
You can’t knead bread too much. Knead until it is very smooth and elastic, usually about 10-15 minutes. I know that is a long time. I made my best bread on the days my husband would come into the kitchen, spy my dough and start pounding on it. He had more strength than I and always did a better job of kneading.
I always roll my homemade bread dough into a 9×14 inch rectangle; Then roll it jelly roll style and put it into the pan. This helps to get rid of any large air bubbles you might have in the dough that can leave large pockets and holes in your bread.
I have tried many methods to raise bread, from putting it in a covered bowl on the stove to putting it in the car on a warm day. Here’s what works best. I heat my oven on the lowest temperature while I am mixing my dough. After about 5 minutes of heating, I turn the oven off, turn my oven light on and place the dough in my oven (and not covering it). It works great every time. The heat from the light seems to give it the right amount of warmth.
When I put the bread in the pans to rise, I also use this oven method. Then, when it is almost doubled in size, I leave it where it is and turn the oven on to the temperature that the bread is supposed to bake at and bake it.
Most recipes say to let bread double in size and then press your finger into it to see if it is ready. If the dent stays, it is ready. After you have made several loaves, you can pretty much tell when it is ready. When I use the oven method for raising dough from above, I skip this finger test because the bread finishes rising the last little bit while the oven is preheating.
Most bread doughs can be frozen. Mix the dough and knead. Shape into loaves, mini loaves or rolls, not letting it rise. Wrap very well and freeze. When you want to use it, thaw and let it rise. It will keep in the freezer about 4 weeks, but after that the yeast starts going bad.
When you freeze or store homemade breads, be sure to wrap them well so they don’t lose their moisture.
If you don’t think you will use baked bread quickly, freeze part of it for later. Homemade bread can dry out and get moldy faster than store-bought bread so freezing the excess will prevent waste. This is why our great-grandmothers came up with recipes like bread pudding and French toast.
If your homemade bread isn’t quite done but is getting too brown, you can tent it with foil. To test whether or not it is done, thump it with your fingers and it should sound hollow.
Here’s my favorite homemade bread recipe. It is a cinnamon bread but when I want to make regular bread, I just make it into loaves without spreading the cinnamon and sugar on it. This makes 2 loaves of bread.
Author:Jill Cooper
Ingredients
6 1/2 – 7 cups unsifted all-purpose flour or 1/2 wheat flour and 1/2 all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 pkg. yeast
1 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup margarine
3 eggs (room temp.)
Filling for Cinnamon Bread:
butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
Mix 2 cups flour with sugar, salt and yeast.
Put the milk, water and margarine into a large mixing cup; Heat in the microwave to 120° or until it feels really hot when you put your finger in it. (The margarine doesn’t need to be melted.)
Gradually add to the dry ingredients.
Add the eggs and 1/2 cup more of flour.
Stir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough.
Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (or you can knead it in the bowl).
Place in a greased bowl (It sounds strange, but I use bacon grease), turning to grease the top.
Put in a warm place (like I mentioned above) and let it rise until doubled, about 35 minutes.
Punch down and divide into 2 halves.
Roll into a 14×9 rectangle.
If you are making regular bread then, beginning at the 9 inch end, roll as you would a jelly roll, gently making it into a loaf.
Divide and place in 2 greased 9×5 bread pans. (with bacon grease for added flavor, no it won’t taste like bacon)
Let rise again for about 35 minutes until doubled.
Preheat oven to 375°.
Bake for 45-50 minutes. To see if it’s done, thump with your fingers. If it sounds hollow, it is done.
For Cinnamon Bread:
After you have rolled the dough out, spread it with a thick layer of butter or margarine. Then sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and roll as above. Be sure to tuck the ends under so the goodies won’t ooze out.
[dining]
Easy 5 Ingredient Bread Recipe:
This is a good frugal homemade bread recipe and is a great one to use when you are short of ingredients because it doesn’t require things like milk or eggs.
Grandma did most of her kneading and working the bread in her bowl instead of dirtying a counter. Tawra makes her bread this way and it works great every time.
Yield:2 loaves or about 30 dinner rolls, depending on size
Ingredients
Units
1cup warm water (110°-115°)
1 pkg. or 1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2cupsugar1 tsp. salt
1/4cupoil, shortening or margarine (melted)
1cupwater or milk
6–7cupsall purpose four
Instructions
Combine water and yeast until yeast dissolves and foams.
Add sugar, salt, oil, and water.
Stir in flour.
Knead on a floured surface until smooth.
Let rise until doubled in size.
Divide dough into two pieces.
Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans.
Let rise again until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Bake 20-30 minutes, until loaves are golden brown and internal temperature is 190°-200° or bread is hollow sounding when tapped.
Remove from pans and cool.
Notes
*This dough can be used for bread, pizza crust, cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, etc.
Soft, fluffy, and lightly sweet, this classic homemade Amish bread recipe makes the perfect comfort food — and it’s ready in just 90 minutes! Using ingredients you already have on hand and no complicated steps, you can have two golden loaves fresh from the oven in time for dinner. Enjoy it warm with butter, toast it for breakfast, or use it for the best sandwiches you’ve ever made.
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
5 1/2–6 cups all purpose flour 1 Tbsp. or 1 pkg. instant yeast 1/3 cup sugar 2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups water 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup butter or margarine
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir until blended.
Heat water, milk and butter until 120°-130°. The butter does not need to melt. (If you like, you can use an instant read laser thermometer to make sure temperature is right.)
Add the warm liquid to the flour mixture.
Beat 2 minutes at medium speed, scraping the bowl occasionally.
Mix in 1 more cup of flour. Beat on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally.
Stir in just enough remaining flour so the dough forms a soft ball.
Knead in a bowl or on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth and elastic and springs back when lightly pressed with 2 fingers, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each into a loaf and place seam-side down into greased loaf pans.
Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400º.
Bake 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped. (Or when a meat thermometer inserted into the bread reads 195-200º.)
Remove from pans by running a knife around the edges and inverting bread onto a wire rack. Rub tops with butter and let cool.
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You can make easy freezer meals without all the trouble so many people cause themselves! Here are some easy ideas how to make freezer meal prep much simpler! Don’t overcomplicate it! After all, you want to spend less time in the kitchen and still get great meals on the table! Here’s how!
Easy Freezer Meals Made Simpler!
We often get asked about how to make easy freezer meals. Most people intuitively know that the kind of freezer meal prep that many others promote is unnecessarily time consuming and difficult.
I will be honest and say that Mom and I don’t do freezer meals in the way you might expect – and it’s SO much simpler to think of freezer meals in the way that we do it. We’ll be sharing some easy tips today to prepare freezer meals without spending a lot of extra time in the kitchen, and these meals will be much fresher and adaptable to your needs.
Most of the time people pre-cook their freezer meals, put them in the freezer and then warm them up later… and it tastes nasty! The other con that I’ve seen with the freezer gurus is that they spend 4-8 hours preparing 20-50 meals, wearing themselves out making all these meals in one day! Often, they recruit friends and family and even need to arrange for child care so that they have the time to put together all those meals all at once. And then there’s a massive cleanup effort required behind the scenes, after you’re tired and worn out!
But make ahead freezer meals can be so much easier and not require a major physical collapse or anxiety medicine when you’re finished! Most of our meals take 15-20 minutes to prepare so why waste your time and energy wearing yourself making a bunch of freezer meals.
STOP THE FREEZER MEAL MADNESS!
We are going to share some of favorite easy freezer meals with you. We’ll show you how to make them taste like they are homemade and how to do it so you don’t completely wear yourself out in the process.
Freezer Meal Tip #1: Freeze Ingredients
This is the way I make my freezer meals. I will brown 10 pounds of hamburger at once (don’t forget 70/30 IS THE CHEAPEST!) :-).
Then I will package 1/2 pound portions into fold top sandwich bags and then put those in a freezer bag. Freezer bags are expensive, but if you use the fold top bags inside the freezer bags the freezer bags can be reused but you don’t have any mess!
Some of the individual ingredients I freeze are:
browned hamburger
shredded chicken (roast a chicken, shred leftovers, package and freeze)
shredded pork (prepare the same as chicken)
shredded roast
chicken breast in marinade
bananas, chopped
salsa, homemade from garden, drain before using
frozen veggies or veggies from the garden already chopped up like onions and peppers
any food item that is left over that I don’t want to waste
When you freeze the individual ingredients instead of entire meals, then you just have to pull it out and add the other ingredients and in 5 minutes or less you have dinner cooking and you can be on to other things.
This is especially helpful because you can customize your meals based on what you want on any given day and the individual ingredient packs take up a lot less space than fully prepared meals.
Freezer Meal Tip #2: Cook your Freezer Meals in the Oven or, if you have to, the Crockpot.
Crockpot freezer meals are overrated! Sure, you can cook your freezer meals in a slow cooker, but there’s a better way!
Neither of us are fans of crockpots, but I know a lot of people are. Here’s the thing: If you cook your freezer meals in the oven they will taste 100% better! I only use my crockpot for is broth, soups and roasts in the summer. EVERYTHING ELSE gets cooked in the oven. The oven is a VERY safe way to cook and your food tastes SOOO much better when cooked in the oven!
The secret oven trick:
There is a secret that most people under 50 don’t know. The trick to have having moist delicious food in the oven is to cook at a low temperature and very slow! Cook your food in the oven for 8 hours at 225° and it will be moist and juicy!
People are afraid that if you cook it at that low a temperature in the oven, the food will grow bacteria and you’ll die of food poisoning BUT did you know that a crockpot on low cooks at just 200° and on high, it cooks at 300°?
Save your crockpot for soups, stews and broths and cooking in the hot part of summer when you don’t want to heat the house. The other 9 months of the year, USE YOUR OVEN to cook your freezer meals (or any meals) and your food will taste 100 times better!
Most ovens actually cost less to run than a crockpot. A crockpot stays running the entire time but an oven cycles on and off as needed to maintain the temperature and uses less energy than a crockpot.
Freezer Meal Tip #3: Stop Doing Big Freezer Cooking Days!
Seriously! Big freezer cooking parties are crazy time consuming! They DON’T actually save you any time and instead just wear you out!
Here’s a much easier way to do it. On the days that you cook, just make a double, triple or quadruple batch. It doesn’t take any longer than cooking a single batch. Then, just dish the extra batches into separate containers and freeze. Then you’ll have 2-4 additional meals ready to go when you’re in a hurry.
When I make meatballs, I don’t just make tonight’s meatballs. I quadruple the batch and make up meatballs to have for the next month. Often I separate the extra before adding a sauce so I can choose to make a different flavor for the next meal.
When I make green chili (one of the few precooked freezer meals I make), I quadruple the batch and then, when we want green chili, I can just pull it out of the freezer, heat up and add my fixings. If I make a Shepherd’s Pie, I will make 2 or 3 of them and only bake one. I will freeze the others unbaked and then pull them out and bake them when needed. This makes them taste much fresher.
Using these freezer meal methods, I only really “cook” 1-2 times per week! And with no significant extra effort on the cooking days! One or two nights per week, I will “cook” and freeze the extra meals. Two or three nights per week, we will pull out freezer meal ingredients or the full freezer meals, put them in the oven, and in less than 5 minutes dinner is ready. Then the other nights are leftover nights or every man for himself!
Most families have a small number of favorite meals and this method allows you to make these meals in bulk at a time when you’re already cooking them, so you don’t spend any extra time. Then you can use all that extra time you would have been making a huge over-complicated production to do something you really want to be doing!
Freezer Meal Bonus Tip
When you get ready to freeze you pre-made dinners, such as Shepherd’s Pie or enchiladas, line your baking pan with foil, put in your freezer meal dinner, cover with more foil and freeze. Then, when it’s frozen, take it out of the pan, put the foil meal packet in a freezer bag and label.
Then, when you’re ready to cook your freezer meal, just put it back in the same pan. There’s no reason to waste money on foil pans.
Make Ahead Freezer Meal Recipes – Meals That Freeze Well
This easy homemade meatloaf recipe makes a yummy main dish that is super versatile. Most families love homemade meatloaf and it can be the basis for lots of different tasty meal variations. It’s also a great recipe to use for freezer meals!
This easy meatloaf recipe is a super delicious traditional meatloaf recipe that is easy to make with just 5 minutes’ prep time! This is an easy family dinner idea that everyone loves!
Yield:6 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. dry mustard 1/4 tsp. pepper 3/4 cup quick cooking oatmeal or 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1 egg 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. onion powder 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup ketchup or barbecue sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix the ground beef and all other ingredients together except the ketchup.
Put the meat mixture into a loaf pan.
Spread ketchup over the top.
Bake 1 hour or until done.
This is THE BEST homemade barbecue meatballs recipe! The recipe makes a quick and easy meal that’ll be a huge hit with families and kids and it’s super easy to make in bulk to use for freezer meals.
These barbecue meatballs are my grandmother’s recipe that she has made for more than 50 years! They’re always a HUGE hit at every get together and the best part is that it only takes a few minutes to throw everything together and get it in the oven. If you add some potatoes for baking you have a delicious dinner in a just a few minutes prep time!
If you’re using this recipe to make freezer meals, you might want to put the barbecue sauce on only part of the batch. Then if you like, you can use the extra meatballs for a different meal altogether when you take it out of the freezer.
This barbecue meatballs recipe is a family favorite that’s sure to please even the pickiest eaters! Our teenage sons can’t get enough of these scrumptious meatballs! The best part? It requires only 5-10 minutes of prep time, making it a quick and easy meal option for busy weeknights. Once you try it, you’ll want to add it to your regular meal rotation and simplify your dinner time routine!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Yield:30 medium meatballs
Ingredients
3 lbs. ground beef 2 cups oatmeal 2 eggs 1 tsp. onion powder or 1 Tbsp. onion, finely chopped 1 cup evaporated milk 2 tsp. salt 2 tsp. chili powder 1/2 tsp. pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and blend well.
Form into balls.
Place meatballs into a 9×13 inch pan and an 8×8 inch pan.
Pour barbecue sauce over the top of the meatballs.
Bake for 1 hour.
Barbecue Sauce
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups ketchup
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 Tbsp. liquid smoke
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Sauce may be refrigerated several weeks.
This homemade pizza dough recipe makes it easy to make tasty pizza dough at home. We also have pizza recipes to top off your homemade pizza with your favorite pizza toppings! If you like making freezer meals, this homemade pizza dough is a great option, as you can make it ahead of time and freeze for up to 6 months!
This green chile recipe makes a tasty light meal when eaten with tortillas or poured over rice. You can also use it to top a lot of different Mexican themed dishes! Mike and I especially love it as a meal. I do often pre-cook this recipe and freeze and it’s a super easy freezer meal any time I’m not feeling well. It’s super delicious!
Thicken with flour or cornstarch so it is like a thick soup.
Spoon about 1/4 cup into the center of a flour tortilla.
Roll up tortilla.
Top with more green chile.
Sprinkle with cheese, lettuce and tomato.
Top with sour cream, if desired.
This green chile freezes really well.
Notes
This easy green chile recipe calls for pork, but I also occasionally make it with cubed cooked chicken.
This recipe is a great way to use leftover pork or chicken.
If you like, you can make the green chile and instead of serving wrapped in a tortilla, you can use to pour over your favorite Mexican dishes like burritos or enchiladas.
This green chile recipe is also good served over rice and garnished with the cheese, lettuce and other toppings.
This homemade pizza or spaghetti sauce recipe makes a yummy homemade sauce to go with your homemade pizza or pasta of your choice! It’s super easy to make big batches for make ahead freezer meals. Get the recipe here along with lots of other freezer meal recipes and ideas for making freezer meals simpler!
1 onion, chopped 1/2lb. Italian sausage 2 (16 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes, chopped, with juice 1 (8 oz.) can tomato paste
salt to taste 1 clove garlic, pressed, or garlic powder (to taste) 1 bay leaf 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Instructions
Crumble sausage in a 2-quart saucepan.
Brown the sausage with the onion.
Drain off the fat.
Add the remaining ingredients.
Simmer for 1 hour. Remove bay leaf before serving.
This Mexican casserole recipe is a tasty and hearty dish that’s very popular with families and kids. It’s super easy to make, easy to adapt to your own tastes and it makes a perfect easy freezer meal!
This Mexican hamburger casserole recipe is an easy hamburger casserole with a moderately spicy Mexican theme. It’s quick and easy to make and perfect for families!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
Units
1/2 to 1 lb. ground beef* 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 small can tomato sauce 1 small can green chiles, chopped 8 to 16oz. cheese, grated* 12 corn tortillas
green onions for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300°.
Brown the ground beef in a frying pan.
Drain.
Add the soup, tomato sauce and chiles.
In a casserole dish or baking pan, layer the tortillas, meat mixture and cheese.
Bake for 30-45 minutes.
Garnish with green onions or cilantro before serving.
Notes
This recipe is very flexible. You can adjust the hamburger and cheese to what you have on hand. I use cheddar cheese but you can use Monterey Jack, Mexican mix or any combination of cheese you want.
You can also add other Mexican themed ingredients like chopped onions or black olives.
This maidrite loose meat sandwich recipe is one of the recipes I do precook and freeze. It’s a tasty recipe similar to Sloppy Joe but with a different, milder taste. It’s an easy freezer meal idea to make ahead and freeze.
6lbs. ground beef8 slices bread, cubed
3cupsmilk1 1/2cuptomato juice4 eggs
onion powder (to taste) or 1 cup chopped onion
salt (to taste)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300°.
Mix all ingredients together.
Pour into three 9×13 inch baking pans.
Bake at 300° for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours (until done). Stir frequently.
Serve with pickles on hamburger buns. You can also serve on bread in the same way you serve Sloppy Joes.
Notes
You can halve the recipe, and it freezes very well.
This shepherd’s pie recipe is an easy way to use leftovers and is very flexible. You don’t have to use the ingredients exactly as listed. You can add more vegetables or meat if you want. It is perfect for freezer meals – one of those meals you can have ready to pop in the oven in just a few minutes with very little work.
The next time you have mashed potatoes and gravy, plan on making a little extra or use the leftovers to make this Shepherd’s Pie recipe the next day. You can keep cooked ground beef in the freezer to use and use canned gravy to make things go really fast if you don’t already have leftover gravy.
1lb. ground beef1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (10 1/2 oz.) can beef gravy
1cup frozen mixed veggies1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2 1/2cupsmashed potatoes
Instructions
Preheat Oven To 350°.
Brown the beef with the onion and garlic. Drain.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the potatoes.
Place into a greased 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
Spread the mashed potatoes over the top.
Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes, until heated through.
Notes
You could add some butter cracker bread crumbs or cheese to it for a little extra if you want.
This easy homemade enchiladas recipe is one of our family’s favorite recipes! This quick and easy meal is one of my go to recipes and it’s easily adaptable! It’s easy to make ahead a little extra as a freezer meal and heat it up later when you don’t have a lot of time!
6–8 tortillas, warmed 1 cup Cheddar cheese 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese 1/2 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 can of enchilada sauce or homemade (see below)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º.
Mix Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, onion and garlic.
Place enchilada sauce in a bowl.
Dip 1 tortilla into sauce.
Place in greased 9×9 inch pan.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture down the center of each tortilla.
Roll up and tuck in the ends; place seam sides down.
Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
Top with the remaining enchilada sauce.
Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.
Bake covered until the cheese is melted and bubbly (about 40 minutes).
Enchilada Sauce Recipe
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce 1 Tbsp. chili powder 5 Tbsp. green pepper, chopped (optional) 1/2 tsp. dried oregano 2 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt (to taste) 1/4 tsp. cumin
Combine all of the enchilada sauce ingredients in a saucepan.
Mix well.
Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Makes 2 cups of enchilada sauce.
Notes
Variations/Add-ins
You can modify this recipe with any of your favorite ingredients. Here are some great flavors you can add!
Shredded leftover chicken in for chicken enchiladas
Try these easy crockpot recipes for chicken, Salisbury steak, tacos and more! Here’s how to save money with quick and easy meals perfect for hot days!
Using your crockpot can save you a lot of money, slash the amount of time you have to spend preparing meals, and reduce your overall stress.
These easy crockpot recipes are perfect for hot days when you don’t want to heat up the house. Cooking with a crockpot can also save a lot of energy, because you don’t have to heat up the house in the summer when you’re trying to keep it cooler.
Unless the recipe states otherwise, always cook with the lid on your crockpot. It is best not to open the lid while cooking.
Many recipes that you cook in the oven or on top of the stove can be adapted to the crockpot. If it takes 2-4 hours to cook in the oven or on the stove top then it will take about 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low in the crockpot.
If you need to reduce the liquid, take the lid off for the last half hour of cooking. You could also make a mix of 2 teaspoons cornstarch with some of the liquid from the dish and stir it into the rest. Then allow it to cook and thicken.
If you find yourself going out to eat a lot because you hate the clean up, then try using crockpot liners. It is much less expensive to use them than to eat out. Liners are especially good to use when you have company and during the holidays.
To make crockpot dishes even easier and faster keep a supply of ingredients like cooked hamburger, sausage, bacon or ham in the freezer. Then you won’t have to dirty a skillet or take the time to cook things like hamburger before you toss them into the crockpot.
Normally you should fill your crockpot about 3/4 full, especially if you are cooking soups and stews. Add the ingredients and then add liquid to fill it to 3/4 full.
If you have a large crockpot and a smaller recipe, simply put the recipe ingredients in an oven proof dish (like Pyrex) and set it down inside your crockpot. Then cover and cook.
Here’s a super easy barbecue chicken recipe you can make in the crockpot in less than 5 minutes! You can use boneless chicken or bone-in chicken. Serve it with rice and a vegetable, like fresh frozen broccoli or sliced peppers, baby carrots and cucumbers for a quick and easy meal!
This recipe makes great barbecue chicken sandwiches if you start with boneless chicken. You can place a whole piece of chicken on each bun or shred the chicken just before serving and serve on buns with barbecue sauce, onions, and pickles!
4–6 pieces chicken 1 cup barbecue sauce 1/4 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2-1 tsp. red pepper flakes
Instructions
Place the chicken pieces in a crockpot.
Mix the remaining ingredients.
Pour over the chicken.
Cook on low in the crockpot for about 4-6 hours.
Here’s an easy chicken crockpot recipe you’re sure to love! It’s a tasty one-dish comfort food meal you can make in the morning with just 5 minutes prep time. Then toss it in the crockpot and it will be ready at dinner time!
You can serve this brown rice and chicken just as the recipe as written or you can adapt it by adding your favorite vegetables, like mushrooms, bell peppers, or whatever else sounds good. It’s a perfect way to use leftover vegetables.
The recipe is delicious with just the listed ingredients, but if you prefer a more themed flavor, you can also serve it with a sauce like sweet and sour sauce.
1 beef roast, 3-5 lbs. 1 onion, sliced 1 can cream of mushroom soup (omit for GF and sprinkle with seasoned salt) carrots and potatoes, diced (optional)
Instructions
Place the beef roast in crockpot.
Pour the cream of mushroom soup and onion on top.(For gluten free, omit the soup and sprinkle the roast with seasoned salt.
Cover. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
Add carrots and potatoes 2 hours before dinner.
Notes
This recipe is an excellent way to prepare inexpensive roasts. This slow cooked roast recipe makes them so tender they fall off the bone and are almost impossible to lift out of the pan.
This crockpot roast recipe can cook for 2 or 3 hours longer than required without overcooking. This makes it perfect for a Sunday meal after church or when hosting guests.
You get more for your money since the roast is so tender that no meat is left on the bone.
This crockpot Salisbury Steak recipe is a delicious comfort food your family will love! It’s easy to prepare ahead of time and then simmer in the crockpot until it’s time for dinner!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
2 lbs. ground beef 1 pkg. onion mushroom soup mix (If you can’t find it, then onion soup mix will work too.) 1/2 cup saltine crackers, crushed 1 egg 1/4 cup milk 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 (10 oz.) cans cream of mushroom soup 1 pkg. brown gravy mix, prepared according to package directions.** sliced mushrooms (optional)
Instructions
Mix the first 5 ingredients and shape into 8 patties.
Pour vegetable oil into frying pan.
Dredge the patties on both sides with flour*.
Brown in the hot oil on both sides.
Place patties in a crockpot. They can overlap.
If desired, add sliced mushrooms.
Combine soup and mixed gravy. Pour over patties.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours until patties are cooked through.
Notes
*I just pour the flour onto a plate, lay the patty in it and dredge on each side.
**You could replace the gravy mix with about 1 cup leftover roast gravy.
Easy Crockpot Recipes To Save Time and Money!
Eating out is expensive! You can make wholesome meals at home in minutes for the entire family for less than the cost of one person eating out! For more easy crockpot tips and recipes, check out our 100 Crockpot Recipes eBook Bundle today!
This crockpot bean goulash recipe is a super easy dump and go crockpot recipe. It makes a delicious, hearty one dish meal that everyone loves and it takes less than 5 minutes to prepare!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Yield:8-10 servings
Ingredients
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
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° (unless you’re using a crockpot).
Brown the ground beef, bacon, celery and onion.
If using canned beans, drain them.
Mix the remaining ingredients together with the beef mixture.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or put in the crockpot on low for 1-2 hours.
This crockpot meatloaf recipe is courtesy of Susanne Myers at Hillbilly Housewife. Thanks, Susanne!
Shred the chicken and use in tacos, burritos, enchiladas or in a salad.
Notes
You can serve this chicken tacos recipe hot or cold, so the leftovers would be great to take in a lunch.
Rotel tomatoes are canned tomatoes with chopped green peppers or jalapeños. Any brand that is labeled “tomatoes and green chilies” should be OK. You can also just used canned tomatoes and add the kind of peppers that you like.
I use my automatic bread machine to make a batch of dough, then bake it in the 3-4 qt. Slow Cooker.
Ingredients
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. water (or more if necessary) 1/4 cup sugar, honey or sweetener of choice 1 1/2 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. butter 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds, roasted & salted 1 cup rolled oats 2 Tbsp. non-fat dry milk powder (optional) 2 1/2 cups bread flour 2 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
Instructions
Place ingredients in pan according to bread machine instructions.
Run on Dough Cycle.
Place a piece of Parchment Paper in the bottom and slightly up the sides of your Slow Cooker.
When the dough cycle is complete, shape into a large ball and place on the paper.
Place a single layer dish towel across the top of the cooker (above the dough) to absorb excess moisture, then top with the lid.
Cook on HIGH at least 1 hour, then check for doneness. (I’m at 6300 ft above Sea Level, and a loaf this size takes 1 hour, 15 minutes. The top will be pale and may shrink back a small bit after cooked.)
At the end of cooking, turn it off but leave it in the cooker 15 minutes.
Then remove and cool on a wire rack. The crust closest to the heating element will be darker and thicker, gradually changing in color and thickness the further away it is. Something for everyone!
Open the cans of condensed milk and pour them evenly into the jars. One jar will fill three 4 ounce canning jars perfectly. Leave a little room for expansion.
Put the jars into the crock of your slow cooker.
Add water to cover the jars by at least an inch.
Cook on low for 10 hours, or until the caramel is the color you want it to be.
Carefully remove the jars, and let cool completely before opening.
Serve with sliced apples.
Just a note: For more easy ideas and tips, READ ALL THE COMMENTS!! Our readers have some great ideas for using Crockpots!
For more quick and easy dinner recipes that will save time and money, check out our cookbooks:
Here are some easy homemade chicken and turkey soup recipes. These soups are super yummy for cold weather days and great comfort foods when you’re sick!
Homemade Chicken and Turkey Soup Recipes
With the onset of cooler weather, one of the best things to learn to make from scratch is a basic homemade chicken soup stock or soup base. Soup base is so easy to make and can be used for many different dishes. We’ll make the basic homemade chicken broth today. Once you have it made, you can mix and match and put your favorite things into it. You can add rice for chicken and rice soup, barley for barley soup, use it to boil noodles for chicken and noodles or make simple Bisquick dumplings for chicken and dumplings. I also like to use it to cook rice in place of water.
It is also helpful to keep some frozen soup base that you can quickly grab and use when you need it for things like broccoli soup or egg flower soup.
Easy Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe
This first version, which is similar to what many people use, is in the Dining on a Dime Cookbook, Volume 1. The second recipe is my own quicker version which I like just as well. It is a little easier and much faster. You choose which you have time for. They are both good.
Place the chicken pieces in a large pot and cover with water. Add optional veggies and bay leaf if you have them.
Sprinkle in seasonings and bouillon.
Cover and simmer gently for 2–5 hours, depending on when you remember it. ;-)
Take out the chicken pieces.
Strain the broth into a clean pot or bowl and let it cool.
Refrigerate until the fat rises to the top and remove it.
Pick any meat from the chicken pieces and return it to the broth. Discard bones.
When reheating or serving, taste and add more salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, or bouillon if needed.
Notes
This recipe is an easy way to use leftover food items. If I have a bay leaf or a couple of carrots on hand, I will throw them in.
This is a perfect starter soup — add noodles, rice, veggies, dumplings, or leftovers to turn it into dinner!
You can make turkey soup the same way. To me, turkey soup is one soup where less is best. The less of the seasonings you use, the more you can get the yummy flavor of the turkey.
Turkey carcass or leftover turkey bones Water (enough to cover the bones) Garlic powder (to taste) Onion powder (to taste) Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
Place turkey bones in a large pot and cover with water. Bring just to a boil.
Skim off and discard any foam that rises to the top.
Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 2–3 hours, or until the turkey meat is very tender and falling off the bones.
Remove bones and strain liquid through a colander. Let the broth cool and refrigerate until the fat hardens on top (makes skimming easy).
Let the meat cool until it can be handled. Once the bones are cool enough to handle, remove all edible meat and discard the bones.
Skim the fat from the broth
Return broth and meat to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
Add garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper, to taste. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Here is one last turkey soup recipe, which is a big help if you want to cook your soup right after Thanksgiving because it helps you use many leftovers besides just the turkey.
Leftover turkey bones 5-6 cups water 3 garlic cloves (or garlic powder, to taste) 2 bay leaves 1 tsp. dried thyme 1 tsp. rubbed sage Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup barley, uncooked* Leftover veggies — cooked or uncooked
Instructions
Place turkey bones, herbs, garlic, and water in a large pot.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 1½–2 hours.
Take out the bones and pick off any meat. Return the meat to the pot.
Add the barley and any uncooked vegetables, then simmer 45 minutes.
Stir in cooked vegetables during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Season to taste and ladle into bowls.
Notes
This soup freezes well. Portion into containers for quick meals later.
Replace barley with spaghetti noodles if you prefer. Add noodles in the last few minutes along with cooked vegetables.
This recipe is the perfect way to use up leftovers, like:
Things can be very busy around the holidays and it can create a lot of chaos. Here are some helpful holiday cooking tips to make holiday cooking easier!
10 Cooking Tips To Save The Holidays!
Clean your pantry, freezer and refrigerator.
Get your refrigerator, freezer and pantry cleaned and ready to stock up on the food you will need for your holiday cooking as soon as it comes on sale. Then they’ll be ready for the store bought items and the things you will be cooking.
Fill Canisters
I use canisters to store my flour, sugar and other staple items because the canisters help keep out bugs and humidity and it is less messy to scoop things like flour or sugar out of a large canister than a bag. Get the canisters filled up and ready for your upcoming cooking and baking marathons.
I also fill up my spice containers at this time. I usually buy my spices in bulk and some of the containers they come in are large and are not easy to measure from. I keep smaller spice containers and then just fill them from the bulk packages.
Keep A Trash Can Handy
When doing a lot of baking or cooking be sure to keep the trash can or a brown paper sack near you so it’s easy to throw away trash. I often make 5-6 trips to the trash can so this simplifies the process. It also motivates you to clean as you go along. You might also keep a large bowl on the counter to dump your trash into as you work. Then, when you are done, you can take it all at once to the trash.
Graham Cracker Crumbs
It seems like half the desserts I find call for graham crackers of some sort. To make things easier, crush a whole box or more of graham crackers and store them in an airtight container. Keep a measuring scoop in the container and the next time you have a recipe that calls for graham cracker crumbs, you’ll have no mess or fuss and one less step to do.
Twisted oatmeal cookies
Use pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice in place of cinnamon in your oatmeal cookies.
Sliding cutting board
You will probably have that cutting board out all the time during the holiday cooking. To help keep it from sliding around, glue a small piece of waffle rubber shelf liner to the corners.
Butter, Margarine, Or Vegetable Shortening???
Sometimes it gets confusing trying to decide what kind of oil to use in baking – butter, margarine, or shortening?
Butter can give a richer flavor, but will burn more easily. If you’re making cookies or something similar, butter can easily burn so you will want to watch it more closely.
If you use margarine, always use margarine that has at least 80% fat. If you don’t, your baked goods can stick badly to the pan or spread too much and they often turn out too dry. Oils to stay away from in baking (unless otherwise stated in the recipe) are vegetable oil, low fat margarine and tub margarine.
If a recipe calls for vegetable shortening, the shortening serves the purpose of the oil, but also tends to make baking more fluffy. For example, fluffy cookies will usually call for shortening. If you substitute butter for shortening, the fluffy cookies will turn out more flat and crunchy.
Easy Pancakes for a crowd
With out of town guests coming or when you’re preparing holiday brunches, it can mean you’ll be making lots of pancakes. To make things go faster, using about 3 cups of pancake mix to make your batter. Pour the pancake batter into a greased 15×10 inch jelly roll pan and bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes until puffy and brown. Then just cut the “pancakes” into squares with a pizza cutter.
Holiday Banana Nut Bread
Give your regular banana nut bread recipe a holiday flair by adding chocolate chips and maraschino cherries to it.
Ham Juices
Many of you will be baking hams for holiday dinners or parties. Often, we just throw away the ham juice but this year save it. Skim off the fat and then pour the juices into ice cube trays or small containers. The next time you make green beans, pea soup, boiled potatoes or green bean casserole, use a cube for flavoring.
Make the perfect fruitcake with these easy homemade fruitcake recipes and basic “how-to” tips to help you make better fruitcake and avoid common mistakes!
How To Make Homemade Fruitcake – Recipes and Ideas
I have always loved fruitcake – All of those delicious fruit chunks and nuts in the delicious sweet cake! My family hasn’t been as enthusiastic as me so I only had occasional opportunities to indulge in this luscious Christmas dessert!
I know that Fruitcake has a bad reputation with some people! You either love fruitcake or you hate it. If you make it right, it is a heavenly experience. I tried many different recipes when I was younger and had a lot of mixed results, but I finally figured our how to make delicious fruitcake every time! If you’re a beginner, I suggest trying the Never Fail Fruitcake recipe below!
In this post, you’ll find several different easy homemade fruitcake recipes, along with other similar recipes like German Stollen Christmas Sweet Bread, Fruitcake Fudge and Fruitcake cookies!
For a quick start, watch my video below and you can see the process from start to finish so you have a better idea what to expect.
Fruitcake Tips:
Here are some fruitcake tips to refine your fruitcake skills. These tips are helpful, and they’re goot to keep in mind, but don’t be so obsessive that you get overwhelmed.
If you plan to make homemade fruitcake for Christmas, it is to make it now, this week, because most fruitcake is best if it seasons for at least a month and some are even better if you can let them set longer. (Don’t worry if you’re short on time. I made the no-fail homemade fruitcake recipe in the video above and it tasted great, even the next day, but longer is even better!)
I know some of you would love to give fruitcake as gifts, but I suggest starting small until you have some success with it. The ingredients for homemade fruitcake can be expensive. If you buy a ton of ingredients and make several batches that subsequently flop you can be out a lot of money, so it’s best to make one at a time until you’re confident of your fruitcake skills.
Be sure to allow you fruitcake to age for at least a month before you put it in the freezer. Freezing stops the aging (or seasoning) process.
Always bake at low temperatures: 250° – 300° is best, but some recipes do go a little higher depending on their ingredients.
Because fruitcakes take so long to bake, line the pan with 1-3 layers of parchment paper or brown paper to prevent them from getting too brown and drying out. Make sure the paper comes up a couple of inches past the top of the pan.
Fill the pan only 2/3 full with batter.
To help prevent the fruitcake from drying out, place a pan of hot water on a lower rack in the oven while it is baking.
To test whether it is done, insert a toothpick. If it comes out moist but not gooey, it is done.
Let fruitcake cool on a cooling rack before taking it out of the pan. When cool, dump it out of the pan and peel off the paper.
You can bake your homemade fruitcake in muffin pans or mini loaf pans, but be sure to adjust the baking time. It will be shorter.
Don’t store fruitcake in a plastic container. The fruitcake will absorb old flavors that have been left behind in the plastic. Wrap in plastic wrap; then foil. Do not wrap with the foil touching the fruitcake because in some cases it can cause a chemical reaction.
You can take any basic fruitcake recipe and change what you put in it as far as the fruits and nuts are concerned. Just be sure you use the same amounts. For example if it calls for one cup of dried pineapple, you can replace it with mango as long as you use one cup.
Always mix the fruit and nuts with some or all of the flour for the recipe before you put it in. This keeps all these things from sinking to the bottom. Do this with any recipe that calls for fruit or nuts.
As with any recipe, read the fruitcake recipe from start to finish before you begin!
This is a big fruitcake recipe but you can easily half it. Using half, you can make 22 cupcakes. If you do make cupcakes, only bake them for 40 minutes.
(You can take out anything like the dates or fruits and replace them with equal amounts of something you prefer.)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups raisins 1 cup red and green cherries 3/4 cup dates, pitted and chopped 3/4 cup candied pineapple, diced 1/2 cup coconut 3 cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup butter 1 1/4 cups white sugar 1 tsp. lemon zest 4 eggs 2 tsp. lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 300°.
Grease one tube pan.
Line with parchment paper.
Grease the parchment paper.
Mix first 8 ingredients.
In separate bowl cream butter, sugar and add lemon zest, eggs and lemon juice.
Mix into flour mixture.
Bake for 2 hours.
This fruitcake can be served right away, but is better if you let it sit in the refrigerator for several days to a week to allow the flavors to meld.
4 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cloves 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 1/4 tsp. salt 16 oz. gum drops, no black ones 3 cups raisins 1 cup pecans 1 cup butter or margarine 1 cup sugar 1 cup brown sugar 2 eggs, beaten well 1 1/2 cups applesauce 1 tsp. baking soda 1 Tbsp. hot water 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325°.
Grease two 9×5 loaf pans and line with parchment paper.
Sift flour and spices.
Cut gum drops into fourths, and mix those, the raisins and nuts with half of the flour mix.
Cream together butter, sugars and eggs.
Alternately, add the flour mix without gum drops and then applesauce.
Add the baking soda to the hot water and mix it into the batter.
Add the vanilla.
Add the gumdrops, raisins, and nuts portion of the flour mixture.
Bake for 2 hours. If you use a tube pan instead of loaf pans bake 30-40 minutes longer.
This fruitcake can be served right away, but is better if you let it sit in the refrigerator for several days to a week to allow the flavors to meld.
7 cups all purpose flour 1 tsp. vanilla 3/4 tsp cardamon 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 8-12 oz fruit cake fruit (as desired) 8-16 oz pecans (as desired) 1 cup raisins soaked in orange juice (drain juice before adding to dough) powdered sugar or vanilla glaze
Instructions
Dissolve yeast, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and salt in warm water.
Add milk, 6 tablespoons butter and ½ cup granulated sugar. Cool.
Add eggs.
Add 2 cups flour and beat until smooth.
Stir in remaining flour.
Add cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, fruitcake fruit, pecans and raisins.
Knead to make a smooth dough.
Place dough into a greased bowl.
Divide the dough into two parts and form each into a loaf.
Place on the prepared cookie sheet and allow to rise until doubled in size.
Once risen, Preheat oven to 350°.
Bake for 40-60 minutes, until golden brown and sounds hollow in the center. A meat thermometer inserted in the center should read 190° or higher.
Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with vanilla glaze.
This Bacon Cheese Meatloaf Recipe is a super yummy recipe that everyone will love! You’ll also get tasty recipes for Texas Potatoes and Mom’s Sweet Muffins!
This best homemade sweet muffins recipe makes moist, sweet and delicious muffins! It is our most favorite muffins recipe! Our family loves them and your family and friends are sure to love them, too!
Author:Jill
Yield:1 dozen muffins
Ingredients
1 egg 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. soda 1 1/2 cups flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°.
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. The batter will be slightly lumpy.
Place batter 2/3 full into greased muffin tins or muffin tins lined with papers.
In 4 bowls or parfait glasses, layer 1/2 container yogurt, fruit and 2 Tbsp. of cereal mix for each bowl.
Layer again and garnish with oranges.
Serve immediately.
Serves 4.
For more quick and easy recipes like this Bacon Cheese Meatloaf Recipe, check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbooks.
[dining]
Easy Cooking Tips
If your cutting board slides around while using it, place a damp dishrag or towel under it to prevent sliding.
Using a bowl to put your trash in while cooking is nice but an even easier idea is to lay a plastic grocery bag opened up and flatten by your work area instead. This way, you can close and tie up the bag when you are done and either put it in the trash or compost pile. With a bowl, you have to carefully try to dump it all in the trash when you are done, sometimes causing stuff to spill. You also have a dirty bowl to wash. Using the bag, I don’t feel like I have to worry about dumping it right away because it is sealed and won’t attract flies or gnats and it won’t smell.
Slightly frozen meat cuts much easier than fully thawed meat.
Here are some easy brunch ideas and recipes to make breakfast easier for you and your family! This yummy fluffy pancakes recipe is a great treat that’s very easy to make. Add some fruit and whipped cream for a really special Christmas breakfast! You’ll also find a tasty bacon sausage wrap recipe and more easy breakfast ideas!
Pancake Brunch Meal Plan
Tips:
Before you brew your coffee, shake a little cinnamon on the grounds for just a little hint of flavor and a special warm and cozy aroma for those cold winter mornings.
Mix a bag of dry pancake ingredients and keep it ready in your pantry. Then, when you have an urge for pancakes, you can just mix it with the wet ingredients. It will be just as easy to use as pancake mix when you prepare it this way.
For special occasions, have a pancake bar. Set out different dishes of things to add to each person’s pancakes, like chocolate chips, berries, nuts or granola. Then, just sprinkle their pancakes with the things they choose as you cook it.
You can also lay out various pancake add-ins along with different flavored syrups and butters so your family or guests can put them on top of their pancakes after they are cooked. Don’t forget whipped cream or even chocolate syrup to drizzle on the pancakes.
Meal Plan
Fluffy Pancakes* Bacon Sausage Wraps* Scrambled Eggs Fruit Cup or Juice Coffee or Milk
These pancakes are like the big fluffy pancakes you find at your favorite restaurant. Mix the batter first and let it set for a few minutes while you are preparing the rest of your brunch. The batter will thicken and start to bubble. Don’t stir it. You want the bubbles.
Author:Jill Cooper
Ingredients
Units
1 1/2cupsmilk2 Tbsp. white vinegar
2cupsall-purpose flour1/4cupwhite sugar2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/4cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted*
Instructions
Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to “sour”.
Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk egg and butter into “soured” milk.
Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray.
Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface.
Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.
Notes
These are great to freeze and pull out as needed.
They’re even better if you can sprinkle them with the sugar and let them set overnight. You can’t use too much sugar on these. The more the better. Sprinkle them with a little more before baking them in the morning.
*If you are watching your fat, you can use less butter or cut it out if you need to.
Bacon Sausage Wraps
Bacon Little Smokies Brown sugar
Wrap little smokies with 1/3 bacon strip each and secure with a toothpick. Lay on a foil lined baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, turning once to bake 20 minutes on each side.
Note: You can keep these warm in a slow cooker and drizzle with a little maple syrup, too.
This easy broccoli raisin salad recipe makes a super tasty salad that is sure to please! This is my most favorite broccoli salad! It is the perfect blend of creamy, sweet and bacon flavors. Broccoli has never tasted so good! We make it as part of our holiday buffets and it is also a favorite when we bring to a party or get together!
1/2 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional) 6 cups chopped broccoli 1 small red onion, finely chopped 1 cup raisins 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup white sugar 2 Tbsp. white vinegar (optional) 1 (3 oz.) package sunflower seeds (optional)
Instructions
Mix broccoli, bacon, red onion, and raisins in a bowl.
Whisk mayonnaise, sugar, and vinegar together in a bowl.
Stir the dressing into the broccoli mixture until evenly coated.
Cover bowl and refrigerate for flavors to blend, about 1 hour.
Here are a bunch of traditional Thanksgiving recipes for holiday favorites like super easy no-fail turkey, sweet potato casserole, homemade stuffing, turkey gravy and homemade pies all in one place! You can make this Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people for under $25!
Traditional Thanksgiving Recipes – Dinner For 10 People For Less Than $25!
We’ve included all of the traditional Thanksgiving recipes below, but here’s a breakdown of the costs to prepare this Thanksgiving Dinner For 10. Most of these recipes are from volume 1 of our Dining On A Dime Cookbook.
Turkey – .69/lb. 15 lbs. $7 ($10.35 for the entire turkey. You won’t use the entire turkey)
One container of whipped topping with work for 2 pies.
Cut small slices of desserts and dish out food for kids. They can come back and get more but then food isn’t wasted and thrown away.
If others are coming, have them help with dinner and bring some dishes.
Make it yourself. Homemade tastes so much better and it really is fairly quick and easy.
Don’t use elaborate recipes with expensive spices.
Make the table look nice and decorated. Then the food looks great even if it’s not a lot of food.
Don’t drink soda, cider and other expensive drinks. Just have iced tea, coffee and water.
Stock up now for your Christmas baking while sugar, flour, etc. are cheap.
Traditional Thanksgiving Recipes
Here’s an easy recipe and tips for how to roast a turkey! This is the best roast turkey recipe ever and everyone raves about how moist and delicious it is!
Traditional Thanksgiving – How To Roast A Turkey
Turkey isn’t expensive at all so stock up now. I got two turkeys today for .39/lb. I had the butcher cut them in half just like last year and the year before! If you know how to roast a turkey, you can stock up during the holidays, serve turkey in place of chicken and save a bundle on your food bill! Tawra
Thawing
Sometimes turkeys do not cook properly because they don’t get thawed. You need to allow 1 day of thawing time for every 4 lbs. of turkey plus you can keep a thawed turkey in the fridge for at least 3-4 days. Thaw your turkey with the breast side down so the juices will run into the breast.
This easy no-fail turkey recipe makes the best turkey you will ever eat! It is super tasty, moist and tender! The meat will just fall off the bones so you will have to serve it already carved. It will be very juicy and moist.
Ingredients
1 turkey, 20-22 lbs. 1 stick butter or margarine
Instructions
Defrost frozen turkey for several days in the refrigerator according to the directions on the package.
Preheat oven to 250°.
Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
Remove the insides of the turkey and save for giblet gravy or for fried livers and gizzards.
Lay turkey, breast side down, in the pan.
Place the stick of butter on the inside.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Bake at 250° for 1 hour.
Reduce heat to 200° and roast for 10-15 hours. Cooking time can be longer to fit your schedule. Test with a meat thermometer to make sure the temperature in the thigh is 180°.
Notes
If I have a 20-22 lb. turkey, I put it in the oven one hour before I go to bed (that way I can turn it down to 200° and sometimes I go down to 180° before I go to bed.) It will be done by noon the next day. Because it cooks at such a low temperature, if you aren’t going to eat until 1-2 PM, it will stay just fine in the oven until then.
If I have a smaller 10 lb. turkey, I put it in the oven early on Thanksgiving morning (about 6 or 7 AM in order to eat at noon. You don’t need to worry too much about it getting done. An hour or two before the meal, check it and see how it is doing. If it isn’t cooking quickly enough, you can always raise the temperature to 350°.
If you use a smaller 10 -12 lb turkey, you only need to use half of a stick (about 4 Tbsp.) of butter. You can also place it in a large crockpot on low.
5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 2 Tbsp. sugar 2 Tbsp. butter 1 tsp. salt 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
In a large saucepan, place potatoes and enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender (about 10-15 minutes depending on your altitude). Drain. Transfer potatoes to a mixing bowl and mash. I use a hand mixer for this but you can use a potato masher. Add butter, milk, sugar and salt. Beat until smooth. Serves 5-6.
For Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Add 15 cloves garlic, peeled and halved, to the potatoes when boiling.
Get ready for a crowd-pleaser! This Green Bean Casserole recipe is irresistibly creamy, full of flavor, and crowned with golden, crispy onions—so delicious you’ll want seconds. Quick and easy to make, it transforms a simple side into a show-stopping dish everyone will rave about!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup or cream of celery soup 1/2 cup milk 1 tsp. soy sauce 16-20 oz. thawed frozen green beans or 2 (14.5 oz.) cans green beans, drained or 4 cups fresh cooked cut green beans 1 1/3 cups French fried onions, divided Salt and pepper, to taste Optional: 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds, for extra crunch Optional: 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper, for a festive touch
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a 1½-quart oven-safe casserole dish, combine the soup, milk, soy sauce, green beans, and 2/3 cup of the French fried onions. Season with salt and pepper. Optionally, stir in red bell pepper for color and flavor.
Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes, until the mixture is hot and bubbly.
Remove from oven, stir gently, then sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup fried onions and toasted almonds (if using) on top.
Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown and crisp.
Let the casserole rest for a few minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
Store leftovers in an oven safe dish for easy reheating.
Notes
Add 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds to the onion topping for an extra crunch.
To add a festive touch: Stir in 1/4 cup chopped red pepper with the soup.
If using fresh green beans, you can blanch them if you prefer to keep the vibrant green color and a crispier texture. Boil in water for about 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, immediately submerge in an ice water bath until they are cool to the touch.
Make ahead: Prepare the casserole up to the baking step, cover, and refrigerate. Bake when ready to serve, adding an extra 5–10 minutes to ensure it’s heated through.
Crispier topping: For an even crunchier topping, lightly toast the French fried onions in the oven for 2–3 minutes before adding.
Extra flavor: Add a dash of garlic powder or a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to the mixture before baking.
This is the best sweet potato casserole recipe ever! It is so quick and easy and makes a tasty dish, perfect for holiday dinners and potlucks. And it’s easy to make the day before you need it and bake just before serving!
Ingredients
3 cups sweet potatoes, mashed 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted 2 eggs 1 Tbsp. vanilla
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar, packed 1 cup pecans 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1/3 cup butter, melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix all of the casserole ingredients.
Put everything in a buttered 9×9 casserole dish.
Mix topping ingredients.
Sprinkle topping over the top of the sweet potato mixture.
Bake uncovered at 350° for 20 minutes.
Notes
If your family isn’t fond of nuts, you can leave out the pecans and it will turn out just fine.
For Marshmallow Topping:
If you prefer, you can easily add a marshmallow topping instead. After mixing the main casserole ingredients and placing them in the casserole dish, spread 1 (10.5 oz.) package miniature marshmallows over the top and bake as directed. The marshmallows will turn a golden brown.
For Pecan And Marshmallow Topping:
Make the recipe according to the directions above. Before baking, spread 1 (10.5 oz.) package miniature marshmallows over the top of the casserole and the pecan topping and bake as usual.
This is my grandmother’s classic stuffing recipe! This is a yummy Thanksgiving traditional stuffing recipe made with bread, sausage and more and everyone loves it!
This is my Grandma’s stuffing recipe (Jill’s Mom). It is one of my favorite traditional Thanksgiving recipes! It has been in our family for years and is a family favorite! -Tawra
I have hesitated to include our stuffing recipe because it is one of those recipes where it is hard to give exact measurements. You can adjust any of these ingredients to suit your taste and if you want, you can add different things to the dish.
For example, you can replace some of the bread with cornbread or you can add mushrooms, celery, apples, or giblets and many other things according to your own taste. This is one of those recipes that looks complicated but is really easy once you make it.
For a drier stuffing, use less liquid and for a moister dressing, add more butter. Butter doesn’t evaporate and won’t make your dressing “soggy” instead of moist the way liquid will. You can also add a little milk if the stuffing seems too dry.
When you bake stuffing inside a turkey or if you cook it in a covered pan, it won’t dry out so keep this in mind when testing for moistness.
If you want your stuffing to be fluffier, beat the eggs in the recipe before adding.
Here is the basic homemade stuffing recipe:
Ingredients
8–10 cups dried bread, cubed or torn (You can use anything including hot dog buns, dinner rolls or French bread.) 1/2–1 lb. pork sausage 1/2–1 onion (or onion powder to taste) 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 1/2 cups broth* 1 chicken bouillon cube 1/4–1/2 cup butter or margarine 3 heaping tsp. ground sage
salt and pepper 1 small bag or box of seasoned croutons
Instructions
Cube and tear bread. Place in a very large mixing bowl and let it sit out overnight if not dry enough. Fry sausage and onion. I don’t like celery in my dressing but if you do you can add it at this time. Drain and add to the bowl of bread. Pour broth into a large measuring cup. Add butter and bouillon cube and heat in the microwave to melt butter and bouillon cubes. Pour this mixture and eggs over bread. Add sage, salt, pepper and onion powder if not using onions and croutons. Using your hands, mush it all together until well mixed. Place in a well greased casserole dish or pan. Cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.
If you like your stuffing soft on the inside with a crispy crust, just remove the cover for the last 15 minutes. If your dressing seems too dry, add a little milk for more moisture.
*For broth, I simmer the neck and giblets in a pan of water for an hour or two as soon as I take them out of the turkey. Then I use this water and some broth from my turkey, which has been cooking, to make my 1 1/2 cups.
If you are baking your stuffing in the turkey and can’t tell if it is done, just test with a meat thermometer and it should be 165 degrees.
3–4 cups turkey juices/drippings 1/4 cup all purpose flour or cornstarch Salt, pepper to taste
Instructions
Pour turkey juices/drippings into a saucepan. Whisk in flour. Add salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring once in a while until it is the right consistency.
If the gravy is too strong or you need to stretch it just a little, you can add a small amount of water. Another way I used to make turkey gravy (either way works) is to dissolve the flour in 1/2 cup of cold water and then whisk it into the turkey juices.
Here’s an easy cranberry sauce recipe to transform canned cranberry sauce into a delicious, homemade-tasting side dish with just a few simple additions. This quick hack will take your holiday meal up a notch—without the extra time or hassle. Perfect for any festive table, this easy upgrade brings out rich, fresh flavors that taste like you made it from scratch!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Yield:1 1/4 cups
Ingredients
1 (15 oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce 2 Tbsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. mustard 1/4 tsp. ground clove
Instructions
Mix together all ingredients.
Serve.
This cranberry sauce recipe is good as-is, but it also makes a great topping for ham or turkey.
Here’s mom’s famous homemade pie crust recipe which really is the VERY BEST! Super light and flaky, this pie crust is melt in your mouth delicious! Everyone raves about it! Make some extra to freeze and use later and you’ll cut your preparation time for your next pie!
Yield:3 pie crusts
Ingredients
3 cups all purpose flour 1/2 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. sugar 1 1/4 cups shortening, cold 1 egg, cold 1 Tbsp. vinegar, cold 5 Tbsp. cold water sugar
Instructions
Mix flour, salt and 2 Tbsp. sugar in a bowl.
Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives.
Add egg, vinegar and 3 tablespoons water.
Mix lightly with your hands. Don’t over mix. If the dough is too dry, add more water. Mix just until the dough sticks together.
Divide into thirds.
Roll out to make 3 pie crusts.
When using the crust for the top of the pie, sprinkle sugar on top.
The crust can be frozen in slightly flattened balls and then defrosted and rolled out when ready to use. Makes 3 crusts.
6–7 cups of medium apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour 2 Tbsp. butter
Instructions
Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl except the butter.
Microwave this filling mixture 2-3 minutes.
Pour into the pie crust.
Dot with chunks of the butter.
Top with the other crust.
Cut steam slits in the top crust.
Sprinkle the top with sugar.
Bake at 450° for 15 minutes.
Then turn down to 350° and bake for 35-45 minutes, until apples are tender and juices are bubbling nicely out of the steam slits.
French Apple Pie is the same as a regular apple pie except with a different topping. To make the French topping, follow the recipe below and sprinkle it over the top of your pie instead of using a top crust.
Discover the secret to the perfect fall dessert with our Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe! Flaky crust, creamy pumpkin filling, and warm spices—this pie is easy to make and sure to wow your guests!
Ingredients
1 pie crust 2 eggs 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. ground cloves 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Bake pie crust for 1-2 minutes until crust starts to puff with small bubbles. Watch carefully.
Then remove from the oven.
Increase oven temperature to 425°
Blend all remaining ingredients together in a bowl.
Pour into pie crust.
Bake at 425° for 15 minutes.
Then turn the oven down to 350° for 45 minutes.
When a knife is inserted into the center of the pie and comes out clean, it is done. Makes one pumpkin pie.
1 stick butter 1 cup light corn syrup 1 cup sugar 3 large eggs 1/2 tsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. vanilla dash of salt 1 1/4 cups pecans, chopped 1 (8–9 inch) unbaked pie crust
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°.
Brown butter in a pan until golden brown. Do not burn.
Cool.
In a separate bowl add other ingredients in the order given.
Mix well.
Add cooled butter and blend well.
Pour into pie crust.
Bake 10 minutes at 425°.
Then turn down oven to 325° and continue baking 40 minutes at 325°. Makes one pie.
Many of these traditional Thanksgiving recipes are in volume 1 of our cookbook:
Here are 7 days of easy cheap family meals that your family will love! These are easy and delicious comfort food recipes that are sure to satisfy! We’ve made it easy for you with these easy meal plans and recipes!
Cheap Family Meals – Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast And More!
Day 1
Day 1 includes a delicious slow cooked roast, roasted potatoes and more! Families and especially husbands LOVE this meal and it’s very easy to make! Save some leftover roast and broth for other meals.
Use some of the leftover chicken from yesterday’s meal to make these easy chicken fajitas! Don’t be afraid to use leftovers! They’re delicious and your picky eaters never need to know!
For day 6, serve this yummy one dish ham dinner, which includes ham, potatoes and more! (Save some leftover ham for tomorrows menu and Day 2 next week.) Round it out with this homemade cornbread and yummy dessert!
Try these easy Thanksgiving Tips and ideas to be better prepared for Thanksgiving! Prepare Thanksgiving meals easier and just get ready for the big day!
7 Ideas For An Easier Thanksgiving – Easy Tips
This is just a little reminder to take your turkey out to start thawing on Saturday if it is about a 20 pound turkey. I would start thawing any turkey on Sunday at the latest. I like to have my turkey thawed at least a day or two ahead of time so I can get it all prepared, in the pan and ready to just pull out and stick in the oven. I have so many things to do the day before Thanksgiving that this is one less thing to worry about.
For all you new or inexperienced cooks be sure to take out the “guts” or giblets as most people call them and the neck, which are usually stuffed inside of the turkey.
If you need to dry bread for your stuffing, lay the bread out this weekend so it will get good and dry. Break it up, place it in the bowl you are going to be mixing it in and have that much done ahead of time.
This weekend, wash and iron your linens for the table and get your silverware and dishes organized.
On Wednesday, do as much as you can so you’re not doing it all at the last minute. Clean the veggies for the relish dish and salads or side dishes. If you are making something like a sweet potato casserole get it all prepared so that all you have to do on Thanksgiving is pop it in the oven.
If you don’t want to be mashing potatoes two minutes before you sit down, mash them and place them in a crockpot on low to keep warm. You can keep them in the crockpot beautifully for one hour but no more. Beyond that, they get “yucky” quickly.
Most of all, for you new cooks or those of you cooking your first Thanksgiving dinner, don’t panic. It is really no more difficult than any other regular meal, except that you are probably preparing more of everything. If you are really nervous, do a trial run this weekend. Practice by roasting a chicken and making mashed potatoes, one or two sides and a dessert. It’s just like a mini Thanksgiving.
If something goes wrong (and most of us have had something go wrong once in a while), just laugh about it. Usually, it is the Thanksgiving everyone will remember with fond, happy memories. It will give you something to tell your future daughter in law, granddaughter or daughter about.
I remember being so scared my first Thanksgiving cooking alone. My friend who was older and who was going to be one of my guests told me how on her first Thanksgiving everything was perfect. The table looked great and everyone was laughing, joking and enjoying the food but half way through the meal she noticed something – she had forgotten the turkey.
She had set it on top of the fridge to move it out of the way for a minute and had left it there. Either no one noticed or they were too polite to say anything. Things may happen, but don’t panic – Thanksgiving wasn’t meant to be perfect– just a time of fun, enjoying being with friends and family.
Save money making your traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year! These easy tips make your Thanksgiving feast less expensive and reduce the stress!
Inexpensive Thanksgiving Dinner – How to Save on Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving can be a great opportunity to enjoy time with family and friends, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed at the thought of everything that you need to do, especially if you’re preparing a big Thanksgiving feast. By making some simple changes to the way you approach some of the Thanksgiving preparation, you can save time and money and spend more time enjoying your Thanksgiving dinner and less time dreading it! Here are a few tips to help you make this Thanksgiving more fun and less stressful!
For More Ways To Save On Thanksgiving, Check Out Our Video!
How To Save On Turkey At Thanksgiving And All Year
Larger turkeys are usually less expensive so buy the largest one you can. I hear some of you groaning now about what to do with all those leftovers because you really don’t need a 22 pound turkey for 6 people. Not to worry — just don’t bake the whole thing.
I discovered one year by accident that my butcher (at a regular national chain grocery store) would cut the turkey in half for me. Even if it is frozen, he can still cut the turkey in half. This discovery really changed my life. (That sounds dramatic, but I was really having a problem becoming “one” with my turkeys.)
I suddenly had the revelation that I didn’t have to deal with the mounds of leftover turkey that haunted my post-Thanksgiving menu for years. I had just enough for a good old turkey sandwich and some soup. I mean Thanksgiving really isn’t Thanksgiving without a few leftovers, is it?
It was so much easier to handle and prepare an 11 pound turkey rather than to manhandle a 22 pound one. Getting the turkey cleaned and into the pan was a breeze and getting it in and out of the oven was just plain simple.
Just wrap the other half and freeze it to use for Christmas. I’ve often made ham for Christmas just because by Christmas we are so sick of turkey that we don’t want to think of preparing another one — ever! If there are fewer leftovers after your Thanksgiving dinner, your family might not mind having turkey again. Then you would have one less thing to buy for Christmas dinner.
If you still don’t want to have turkey for Christmas, save it for some cold day in January. If you have a large enough crockpot, cook the turkey in the crockpot. If not, cook it on very low in the oven so that it slow cooks all day. It is amazingly delightful it is to come home to the yummy smell of slow cooked turkey!
Save On Thanksgiving Pies That Taste Better!
Save money by making your own pies instead of buying the expensive pre-made ones. If the thought of making pie crust is too daunting, just buy a ready made crust. They are usually on sale for very little around Thanksgiving.
It really isn’t that hard to make the filling for most pies. Pies are often easier to make than cakes or cookies. If you like the traditional pumpkin pie, most cans of pumpkin have the recipe on the back. I also know of a really good cookbook that includes the recipe called Dining on a Dime Cookbook, Volume 1. HA! HA!
If your family and friends aren’t fussy about having the traditional pumpkin pie, you can make banana cream, chocolate, or butterscotch pie. Just mix a box of banana pudding and pour it into a baked pie crust. Cover it with sliced bananas and whipped topping. For the chocolate pie, use chocolate pudding with chocolate chips in it and cover it with whipped topping. For the butterscotch, use butterscotch pudding and whipped topping and sprinkle with butterscotch chips. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
You don’t have to make so many pies that you could open a bakery. I have found that most kids are just as happy with a platter of cookies. Don’t overdo it. You’ll just wear yourself out! If you have time, make the cookies in the shapes of pumpkins and turkeys.
Save On Thanksgiving Sides And Relish Dishes
Save money on your relish dish. Buying ingredients for a relish dish can get expensive, especially where we live. One year I paid more for my relish dish items than my turkey. If you have this problem, only use 3 or 4 vegetables on the relish dish instead of 10 and cut out on the more expensive vegetables. Broccoli and cauliflower are very high priced for us so, if I needed to save, I would probably use carrots and celery. Fill the celery with cheese or peanut butter or cut them into fancy shapes. On this occasion, the turkey is the star and most people won’t even notice that you cut back on the relish dish.
Don’t make so many side dishes– Like I said, the turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes are more important for your traditional Thanksgiving dinner than everything else. By the time everyone stuffs themselves on those, they only eat a token amount of the side dishes. Why? —Because, of course, everyone wants to save room for dessert!!!!!
[dining]
Setting Up For An Easier Thanksgiving
Here are some easy tips to make setting up for Thanksgiving go a lot smoother:
Short of seating space for your holiday dinner? Pull out your ironing board (some of you may not remember what that is. HA!HA!). Throw a table cloth over it and it works great as a kids’ table. Because you can move it up and down to different heights you can adjust it to the height of the chairs that you have or to the heights of the kids.
No kids coming to your party or dinner? Use the ironing board as a buffet table. Once again, cover it with a table cloth and use it for platters of cookies, bowls of Chex Mix, etc.
The ironing board can work well as a serving table, too. If your dining table has room for everyone to sit but not enough room for all of the food, set up the ironing board close to the table (being narrow means it doesn’t take up much space) to hold the serving dishes. Then mom or grandma won’t need to jump up and run to the kitchen every time someone needs seconds.
Some ironing boards are a little wobbly but if you put your ironing board on a hardwood or tile floor or up against a wall, that will help. Use your own judgment in setting it up and determining what is light enough to put on it. I probably wouldn’t put my heavy crystal heirloom punch bowl full of punch on it, but a basket of dinner rolls, chips or cookies would work fine.
It seems that no matter what you do when setting up for Thanksgiving, there are always so many last minute things to do the moment before you get ready to set everything on the table. One of those last minute things is mashing the potatoes. This year, you can stay ahead of the game by mashing them early and keeping them warm in your crockpot. They will keep up to 2 hours on low in the crock pot and will be just as fresh as if you had just mashed them. Put them on low and grease your crock pot. They start going down hill after two hours, so don’t leave them in there any longer.
Cranberry sauce is always on sale for a very good price this time of year. Stock up on it and use it through out the year. You don’t need to save cranberry sauce just for Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. It makes a nice change from the usual side dishes you serve with chicken or ham in February or August. As an added bonus, it is really good for you. Don’t forget dried cranberries, too. They are great in homemade trail mixes (mix up some trail mix for Christmas gifts), or tossed into your favorite quick bread.
Would you like help preparing a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner? Our Thanksgiving On A Dime e-book can give you peace and the confidence to know that you can do it! Learn More Here!
This Peachy Pork Chops Recipe from Volume 1 of our Dining On A Dime cookbook is delicious and easy to prepare. If you’re looking for a delightful and flavorful dish to make with pork chops, look no further than this mouthwatering Peachy Pork Chops recipe! The peach sauce complements the pork chops nicely! Your family will love it! Combine it with the yummy veggie salad and you have a perfect family meal plan under $5!
Looking for a delicious and hassle-free dinner option? Look no further than this easy peachy pork chops recipe. Tender and juicy pork chops are cooked to perfection and then smothered in a mouthwatering peach glaze that adds a delightful sweetness to every bite. It’s a perfect recipe to make when you want something delicious for your family, but don’t have a lot of time.
I make this peachy pork chops recipe when I find a good deal on pork chops or when I just want something different and delicious. My husband always said he didn’t like pork chops, but he raves about how delicious this peachy pork chops recipe is whenever I make it. The best part is that it’s super simple for me to make!
How To Make the Peachy Pork Chops Recipe
To make this pork chops recipe, gather the following ingredients:
4 pork chops 1 (10 oz.) jar peach jam 2 Tbsp. vinegar 1 Tbsp. mustard 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce a dash of Tabasco sauce
You can easily double or triple this recipe if you have a larger group of people to feed. Just use 2 or 3 times the number of ingredients.
Begin by browning the pork chops in a small amount of oil in a frying pan and cooking until they are done.
Then, mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl to make a simple peach sauce. Warm the sauce in a pan, or covered in the microwave. Then pour over the pork chops and serve.
The pork chops are delicious just like this, but if you’d like to make it look more fancy, you can add some chopped canned or fresh peaches to the sauce and garnish with peach slices.
I’m all about making it simple, so I usually serve with potatoes or rice and a vegetable. For the vegetable, I will often serve with microwaved frozen broccoli, mixed vegetables, or French-cut green beans. It’s also delicious with a salad or a simple veggie tray, like baby carrots, cucumbers, and peppers.
This Peachy Pork Chops Recipe Is From Volume 1 of Our Cookbook:
Looking for a delightful and flavorful dish that combines the sweetness of peaches with succulent pork chops? This peachy pork chops recipe is a perfect blend of savory and sweet, creating a harmonious symphony of flavors that will leave your taste buds dancing with joy. It’s a perfect way to use pork chops and the kids will love it!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
4 pork chops 1 (10 oz.) jar peach jam 2 Tbsp. vinegar 1 Tbsp. mustard 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce Dash of Tabasco sauce
Instructions
Brown the pork chops and cook until done.
Mix the rest of the ingredients and heat.
Serve over the pork chops.
Notes
If you’d like to make these peachy pork chops extra fancy, you can serve them with sliced ripe peaches or canned peaches.
It’s perfect as-is, but you can also add chopped peaches to the sauce if you like.
This makes a great bone-in or boneless pork chop recipe.
Here’s an easy meal plan you can use with the peachy porch chops recipe to make an easy $5.00 meal.
Meal Plan:
Peachy Pork Chops* Boiled Red Potatoes “Cool” Veggie Salad* Bread w/ butter and jam Butterscotch Pudding Parfaits (layers of butterscotch pudding and whipped topping)
In this post, you will find traditional meatloaf recipes you will love including an easy meatloaf recipe that requires only 5 minutes prep time, a tasty bacon cheese meatloaf, extraordinary meatloaf and more! If you want to know how to make meatloaf, you’ve come to the right place! You’ll also find 12 ways to make meatloaf and meatballs, which give you lots of tasty options for easy family dinners everyone loves!
Traditional Meatloaf Is Easy And Delicious!
Meatloaf is a traditional comfort food that has been popular for generations! Today I will share some easy meatloaf recipes to make traditional meatloaf like my great grandmothers used to make!
This hearty dish is perfect for family dinners, meal prep, and even leftovers. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or a beginner in the kitchen, our step-by-step guide will show you how to make meatloaf that is moist, flavorful, and sure to impress everyone at the table. Our teenage boys absolutely love meatloaf!
I am including several easy meatloaf recipes, each of which has its own variations. Our easy meatloaf recipe that is first on the list is perfect for any occasion, so it is a good recipe to use, especially when you’re first learning how to make meatloaf.
How To Make Meatloaf
If you’re a little nervous because you don’t know how to make meatloaf, you will be pleasantly surprised to find out how easy it is to make!
Generally, any meatloaf starts with ground beef and then includes oatmeal, bread crumbs, crackers and sometimes other grains. In the Great Depression, these fillers were used to stretch the meat to make the meatloaf cost less, but they also add a slightly different texture to the meat.
Then the meatloaf is placed into a bread baking pan and baked into a loaf, shaped like a bread loaf. When it is served, the meatloaf is usually served cut into thick slices a little bit thicker than bread slices.
Meatloaf is usually topped with ketchup and then baked, but it can also be topped with barbecue sauce, steak sauce or other specialty sauces if you prefer.
You can also sprinkle the top with grated cheese like Cheddar or Mexican cheese, or you can leave the sauce off the top altogether and simply sprinkle cheese on top. Yum! My easy meatloaf recipe is topped with ketchup or barbecue sauce, but I include other traditional meatloaf recipes below that call for cheese and sometimes bacon as a topping.
What To Do With Leftover Meatloaf
Leftover meatloaf is great for sandwiches because it tastes great and you can easily cut it into the size you prefer and place it on the bread.
If you make meatballs, you can cut them into halves and make sandwiches from them, too. Meatball sandwiches are delicious, especially served warm with mozzarella cheese, Italian sauce and other Italian-style add-ins.
If you have leftover meatloaf, recipes like these are perfect for using the leftovers:
The easy meatloaf recipe below, which is included in volume 1 of our cookbook is my original meatloaf recipe. My mom and grandmother never made meatloaf, so when I got married, I came up with this easy meatloaf recipe because my husband loved meatloaf! It is so easy and delicious! It’s a no fail recipe for meatloaf that will be a hit with your entire family!
This traditional meatloaf recipe makes a delicious moist meatloaf just like grandma used to make! Not only does it taste great every time, it only takes 5 minutes to put together and then bake!
If you use this easy meatloaf recipe for any of the above purposes, you will probably want to use ketchup instead of the barbecue sauce that is mentioned in the basic meatloaf recipe.
This easy meatloaf recipe is a super delicious traditional meatloaf recipe that is easy to make with just 5 minutes’ prep time! This is an easy family dinner idea that everyone loves!
Yield:6 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. dry mustard 1/4 tsp. pepper 3/4 cup quick cooking oatmeal or 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1 egg 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. onion powder 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup ketchup or barbecue sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix the ground beef and all other ingredients together except the ketchup.
Put the meat mixture into a loaf pan.
Spread ketchup over the top.
Bake 1 hour or until done.
This easy meatloaf recipe is from volume 1 of our cookbook:
This Bacon Cheese Meatloaf Recipe is an easy meatloaf recipe with the delicious taste of bacon and cheese! Who thought meatloaf could get any better?
Ingredients
1 egg 1/4 cup evaporated milk 1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, grated 1 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled (about 10 slices) 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs (leftover dinner rolls are especially good) 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1/2 tsp. onion powder 1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine everything except for 1/2 cup of the swiss cheese and 1/4 cup of the bacon.
Mix well and shape into a loaf.
Place the meat mixture in a greased loaf pan or baking dish.
Bake uncovered at 350° for 1 hour, until meat is no longer pink or a thermometer inserted in the center reads 160° or higher.
Drain.
Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bacon.
Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
This extraordinary meatloaf recipe is another meatloaf with a unique and delicious flavor! If you want to know how to make meatloaf extra special, this is the recipe for you! Using half ground beef and half sausage along with a generous amount of cheese gives it a more seasoned flavor than a typical meatloaf. For even more zip, you can use hot sausage in this easy meatloaf recipe. Tou can also experiment with other cheeses, like pepper jack.
This extraordinary meatloaf recipe is another meatloaf with a unique and delicious flavor! Using half ground beef and half sausage along with a generous amount of cheese gives it a more seasoned flavor than a typical meatloaf. Try it and be amazed!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef 1 lb. sausage (hot if you like it) 1 cup bread crumbs 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 eggs 1 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. pepper 3/4 lb. (3 cups) Colby cheese, grated
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°.
Mix all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Place in a loaf pan.
Bake 45 minutes. When finished baking, a thermometer inserted in the center should read at least 160°.
This bacon parmesan meatloaf recipe has been a family favorite for years! It is a traditional meatloaf recipe with the addition of Parmesan cheese and cooked layered in a generous amount of bacon for an extra delicious flavor!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
Meatloaf Ingredients
12 slices of bread 2 cups milk 4 lbs. ground beef 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese 8 eggs salt and pepper to taste 1-2 Tbps. parsley, chopped 1 (16 oz.) package bacon
Sauce Ingredients
2 cups ketchup 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 1 tsp. dry mustard 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Soak the bread in the milk in a bowl.
Mix the remaining ingredients, except the bacon, in a second bowl.
Mix the soaked bread into the ground beef mixture.
Place a layer of bacon on the bottom of 2 loaf pans.
Make the ground beef mixture into 2 loaves.
Place one meatloaf into each loaf pan.
Top the meatloaves with the remaining bacon slices.
Stir sauce ingredients together. Pour half over the meatloaf. Use the other half of the sauce for basting and serving.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Add more sauce and bake for 25 more minutes.
Meatloaf, Meatballs and Hamburger Recipes And Ideas
Buy 5 pounds or more of hamburger and prepare your favorite traditional meatloaf recipe. Then form part of it into any combination of the following:
1 or 2 meat loaves
meatballs
mini meat loaves (the size that will fit into mini loaf pans)
portions that will fit into muffin tins
form the rest into nice sized patties
Lay everything out on cookie sheets and freeze. When frozen, place into freezer bags. When you need something quick for dinner, just pull a bag of something out of the freezer.
Here are a couple of other easy meatloaf recipes you might like:
Here is a simple family meal planner with easy family meal ideas that can save you money and satisfy your family without you spending too much time in the kitchen! These are easy and delicious comfort food recipes that are sure to satisfy and they’re so easy you won’t be tempted to spend a lot eating out! We’ve made it easy for you with these family meal plans and recipes!
These are the meal plans for a week. Each day includes links to the recipes listed in the meal plan. Feel free to adapt and modify the meals according to your family’s preferences. For more great family dinner ideas and recipes, be sure to check out our easy Dining On A Dime cookbooks! They will help you save time and money making tasty meals!
For lots more super easy and cheap recipes your family will love, check out our cookbooks!
Here is an easy apple cake recipe for a delicious coffee cake that reminds you of grandma’s house! You’ll also find 10 tips for using apples, including tips on which apples are best for which purposes, how to use apples so they don’t go bad, and ideas for using apples in various foods!
Easy Apple Cake Recipe: A Simple, Delicious Treat for Any Occasion!
If you’re looking for a delicious and easy apple cake recipe, this is it! Bursting with juicy apples and topped with a delightful crunchy, crumbly texture, this cake is perfect for any occasion. Whether you want to enjoy it with your morning coffee, serve it as an afternoon snack, or bring it to a gathering, this apple cake is guaranteed to impress. With a soft, moist interior full of tender apples and a crisp coffee cake-like texture, every bite delivers a mouthwatering contrast of textures and flavors.
What Makes This Apple Cake Special?
One of the best parts about this recipe is just how simple it is to make. You don’t need any fancy equipment or complicated steps—just a few basic ingredients and some apples. Despite its simplicity, the result is anything but ordinary. The apples add natural sweetness and moisture, while the crumbly texture gives it that irresistible bakery-quality feel.
The combination of tender apples throughout the cake with the golden, crunchy top creates a delightful experience with every bite. The cake itself is soft and fluffy, with the apples melting into the batter to create pockets of fruity sweetness. Meanwhile, the crunchy top layer adds a satisfying contrast, reminiscent of a classic coffee cake crumble.
This easy apple cake recipe makes a great snack cake that reminds you of grandma’s house! It is similar to a coffee cake, with a yummy apple flavor and makes a good cake for fall! It’s a great way to use extra fresh apples. Try it to bring some warm fuzzy feelings to your family.
Author:Berna Tatum
Ingredients
2 cups sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 Tbsp. baking powder 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 2 eggs 3 cups chopped raw apples 1 cup nuts (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well.
Pour into a greased 9×13 inch baking pan.
Bake 1 hour, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
This easy apple cake recipe is from Volume 1 of our cookbook:
[dining]
10 Tips for Ways To Use Apples
Here are some useful ways to use apples:
Baking apples include Granny Smith, McIntosh and Rome. These tend to be great for baking but not so good for eating unbaked. I like to keep apples like Gala, Jonathan and Golden Delicious on hand because you can eat them or bake with them.
Red Delicious Apples are usually used for eating, but I have used them in a pinch in baking. Red Delicious apples become much softer when cooked, but since I like my apples sweet and very soft when cooked, that doesn’t bother me.
When you have a partially eaten apple, save the good part and chop it into pieces. Place in a microwave safe dish. Blend together 1 tsp. each brown sugar, flour, oatmeal and margarine and a dash of cinnamon. Top the apple with the topping and microwave until tender.
When making baked apples, you can put all kinds of things in the center, including candied pineapple, orange peel, ginger, peaches, berries, raisins, honey, corn syrup and even marshmallows.
Core and slice apples very thin. Dehydrate and use in granola, eat alone or soften in warm water to use in recipes.
Slice apples and use in Pancakes or waffles.
To freeze apples: Peel, slice and core. Then store in 2 cup portions in freezer bags.
Use soft apples in cooking. Just because they’re not crisp enough to be desirable doesn’t man they’re bad.
Cut apples into small pieces and add to salads with a fruit based dressing.
To keep apples crisp, keep them in the fridge to help them stay crisp.
When you can, eat the peel on your apple. That is where 2/3 of the fiber is found.
When making baked apples, you can put all kinds of things in the center, including candied pineapple, orange peel, ginger, peaches, berries, raisins, honey, corn syrup and even marshmallows.
Here are some cheap dinner ideas and recipes your family is sure to love! They’re super easy and quick to make and you’ll save a lot of money over eating out or making convenience food. All these dinners cost around $1.00 per person for the entire dinner ($3.00 for the entire meal).
Shopping is the key to cheap dinners. Buy everything on sale.NEVER Pay full price. Buy fruits and veggies when they are $1 or less per pound. If the fruit or vegetable you plan to use is very expensive, consider using something that is on sale and in season instead. Choose meat that you can get on sale for $1.99 or less per pound.
(If you want to track which stores have the lowest prices in your area and when they usually have sales, check out our handy price books. These booklets make it easy to track prices so you can always pay the lowest price.)
Keep the recipes and dinners simple and everyone will be happy! Many moms try to imagine extravagant meals, but most families prefer the same simple meals they love rather than expensive and unusual foods, so be kind to yourself and keep it simple!
$1.00 Dinners! Cheap Dinner Ideas And Recipes
All of these meals cost about $1 per person to make. Don’t overthink it! Pick one and make it for your family today!
Here are a bunch of homemade apple recipes to help you make delicious treats like pies, snacks and applesauce while using all of those extra apples!
18 Of The BEST EVER Homemade Apple Recipes!
I’ve always dreamed of having an apple tree in my backyard. You know the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for?” Now that I actually have my own apple tree, I stand in my yard watching the apples piling up around me thinking, “Oh no — What do I do with this mess now?”
If I could make gasoline out of apples, I could retire, but since that is not an option and my frugal mind will not allow me to waste one apple, I have had to come up with some homemade recipes for yummier “apple disposal” methods.
If you find that you have a few dozen more apples than you know what to do with, these homemade apple recipes from Dining On A Dime Volume 1 will help settle your frugal dilemma.
Tips for Using Apples:
When you have a partially eaten apple, save the good part and chop into pieces for this easy apple recipe: Place in a microwave safe dish. Blend together 1 tsp. each brown sugar, flour, oatmeal and margarine and a dash of cinnamon. Top the apple with the topping and microwave until tender.
Slice apples and use in pancakes or waffles and other homemade apple recipes.
To freeze apples: Peel, slice and core and then store in 2 cups portions in freezer bags.
Use soft apples in cooking.
Cut into small pieces and add to salads with a fruit based dressing.
Here is my best apple pie recipe and as a bonus I will give you a recipe for French apple pie. You use the French apple pie when you have only 1 crust for the bottom and need something to top it with. It is a cross between a pie and apple crisp.
6–7 cups of medium apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour 2 Tbsp. butter
Instructions
Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl except the butter.
Microwave this filling mixture 2-3 minutes.
Pour into the pie crust.
Dot with chunks of the butter.
Top with the other crust.
Cut steam slits in the top crust.
Sprinkle the top with sugar.
Bake at 450° for 15 minutes.
Then turn down to 350° and bake for 35-45 minutes, until apples are tender and juices are bubbling nicely out of the steam slits.
Warm, aromatic, and perfectly balanced, this easy apple pie spice recipe brings the classic flavors of homemade apple pie to all your favorite treats. From pies and muffins to oatmeal and lattes, this versatile spice blend is a pantry must-have for cozy, comforting flavors any time of year.
This homemade applesauce recipe is a delightful and kid-friendly way to make use of those surplus apples you have lying around. Whether you’ve stumbled upon a great deal on apples or have been blessed with an abundance from your own tree, this recipe is perfect for you.
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
4 apples – peeled, cored and chopped 3/4 cup water 1/4 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. cinnamon pinch of salt
Instructions
In a saucepan, combine the apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon.
Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft.
Allow to cool.
Then mash with a fork, potato masher or stick blender.
This easy apple crisp recipe is super easy to make and tastes amazing! This is my great grandma’s apple crisp recipe and it’s always a hit! It’s also a very cheap way to have a delicious dessert and is perfect for using leftover apples. Throw a little ice cream on top and get the perfect apple pie a la mode taste with just a fraction of the work! You can find this recipe in volume 1 of our Dining On A Dime Cookbook.
Author:Tawra Kellam
Yield:6 servings
Ingredients
6 apples, peeled and sliced 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 tsp. cinnamon and/or nutmeg 1/2 cup water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Arrange apples in well-greased baking dish.
Blend all remaining ingredients except water.
Spread evenly over the top of the apples.
Pour water over the topping.
Bake 45 minutes until apples are tender and top is crisp.
Notes
For a Peach Crisp Recipe, use peaches in place of apples. (If you use peaches, this is basically a peach cobbler recipe.)
You can also try using 3 cups of blueberries in place of the apples for a Blueberry Crisp or Cobbler.
Indulge in the irresistible flavors of fall with this homemade apple butter recipe. Bursting with the natural sweetness of apples and enhanced by a medley of warm spices, this delectable spread is the perfect addition to your breakfast toast, biscuits, or even as a filling for pastries. Made with love and care, this apple butter recipe will fill your kitchen with a delightful aroma and your taste buds with pure delight.
Author:Tawra Kellam
Yield:2 pints
Ingredients
9 to 10 apples, cored, peeled and chopped 2 cups sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/8 tsp. cloves 1/8 tsp. salt
Instructions
Place everything into a crockpot.
Stir, cover and cook on high 1 hour.
Cook on low for 9-11 hours or until thick and dark brown. Stir occasionally.
Uncover and cook on low 1 hour longer.
Stir with a whisk until smooth. Refrigerate or Freeze.
Indulge in the comforting flavors of our delightful Applesauce Cake. This moist and tender dessert combines the natural sweetness of applesauce with warm spices like cinnamon and cloves. Perfect for any occasion, this easy-to-make cake offers a homestyle treat that’s sure to please.
Author:Grandma Bessie
Yield:Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. cloves 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups applesauce 1 tsp. baking soda in 2 Tbsp. hot water 1 cup raisins 1/2 cup nuts (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy.
This easy baked apples recipe is a sweet and delicious way to serve apples! Start with a cored apple and fill with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and your favorite fillings to make a dessert that is delicious and memorable! Perfect as a dessert, especially for special dinners when company is over!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
Apples, cored Brown sugar, 1 Tbsp. per apple Butter or margarine, 1 tsp. per apple Cinnamon, 1/4 -1/2 tsp. per apple Nuts, 1 Tbsp. per apple
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°.
Place apples in a baking dish.
Fill the center of each apple with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon and nuts.
You can also add a small amount of water or apple cider to the bottom of the pan.
For a good excuse to give yourself a break, make a cup of tea or coffee, put up your feet and enjoy one of these yummy muffins from this easy applesauce muffins recipe. As an added bonus, your family will love the smell when they walk in the door!
This applesauce muffin recipe makes incredibly delicious muffins that your family and friends will love! These muffins are super moist and they’re great for parties, get-togethers and kids snacks!
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 4 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 egg 1 1/2 cups applesauce 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 1/2 cup chopped apple (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°.
Stir all ingredients by hand until mixed. Don’t over mix.
Bake 20 minutes.
Applesauce Muffins Topping
While baking the applesauce muffins, combine:
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
Melt 1/4 cup butter or margarine.
While the muffin are still hot, dip them in butter and then in the sugar mix.
Set aside for a few minutes to cool and to let the topping harden.
Notes
You can add some blueberries or cranberries to these muffins to kick them up a notch.
This homemade apple turnover recipe is so easy and delicious that you’ll be tempted to try to make it with lots of other fruits! This recipe is a great way to use apples or other summer leftovers!
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
1 can apple pie filling* 1 tsp. apple pie spice (or 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and cloves)* 1 can refrigerator biscuits 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted 1/2 cup sugar with 1–2 tsp. cinnamon (combined)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°.
Add the apple pie spice to the fruit filling.
Using a knife, slice apple slices in the can into small chunks. (I add the spices into the can and press the apples against the can with the knife to cut them to avoid dirtying a bowl.)
Flatten the biscuits with a rolling pin or your hand into 4″ circles.
Add 1 slightly rounded Tbsp. of pie filling into the center of each biscuit.
Wet edges of biscuit with milk. Fold in half and seal well. Prick tops with fork.
Dip in melted butter and then into sugar and cinnamon mix.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes or until brown.
Notes
Variation: Add raisins to the pie filling and/or serve with cheddar cheese.
*If you like, you can make cherry turnovers or any other fruit turnovers using the same recipe – Apple, peach, cherry or blueberry are all good options.
When using the other flavored fillings, you can leave out the apple pie spices. You can add other spices from your favorite pie recipe if you prefer, like a pinch of cinnamon to the peach or almond flavoring for the cherry pie. You don’t have to add anything if you don’t want.
Buttermilk and sour milk are versatile ingredients that add flavor and richness to a variety of dishes! In this guide, you’ll find 10 easy and creative ways to use buttermilk and sour milk in your cooking.
Readers’ Homemade Buttermilk Questions Answered
We get many questions about buttermilk and our homemade buttermilk recipelike, “How do I use homemade buttermilk?” “What if I don’t have any buttermilk to start it?” and so on, so I thought I would try to clear up some of the confusion about making your own buttermilk today.
Yes you can freeze buttermilk. It is like milk though you must shake it well after freezing because it separates. You may not want to use it for drinking though because texture is different.
Dried buttermilk in the can works great. I use it all the time. It has an almost forever shelf life if unopened and it lasts almost as long when opened.
You can use buttermilk in place of milk in recipes but you must be careful if those recipes have baking powder in them. It messes up the leavening in the recipe. If you want, you can still use it. You just need to replace each 2 tsp. of baking powder with 1/2 tsp. of baking soda.
You can interchange yogurt, sour cream and buttermilk in most recipes. If you need your recipe to be looser, you can use 1/4 cup milk plus 3/4 cup yogurt or sour cream in place of buttermilk.
Let 2-3 tsp. of lemon juice or vinegar set in a cup of milk for 10 minutes to make sour milk. Be sure to put the vinegar or juice in the cup first and then add enough milk to make a cup.
Buttermilk and sour milk really shouldn’t be interchanged if you can help it. You can do it but it will sometimes change the texture of what you are making.
-Jill
Today I made some homemade buttermilk. Homemade buttermilk is the simplest thing to make! I had some milk that was left out and became sour. Mike in his ever efficient manner made sure that we all knew it was sour. (see picture :-)
At the grocery store today, I found some buttermilk marked down for .39 so I grabbed it up and made some buttermilk. It will be done in the morning, just in time for pancakes. Here’s the buttermilk recipe if you would like to try it. It works best with whole milk but it will work with skim. It will just be runnier. This time I just dumped the buttermilk into the milk container because I had already used some of the milk for biscuits.
-Tawra
One of our readers asked why it is okay to set out buttermilk and let it sour, but the sour milk in her child’s sippy cup is bad for her child.
Many people think sour milk and buttermilk are the same but they are different.
Buttermilk used to be the watery stuff leftover from making butter. These days, it is made by adding a lactic acid bacteria to regular pasteurized milk.
Sour milk is made by adding vinegar and lemon juice to regular milk to make it sour.
Spoiled milk is milk that has just been left out and has gone bad, like the milk in a child’s sippy cup.
To make homemade buttermilk, the recipe says to add 1-2 cups of buttermilk you already have to regular milk and let it sit out. The acid bacteria in the original buttermilk is what makes the difference. This isn’t a perfect example but it is kind of like the good bacteria and the bad bacteria in your stomach. You need the good bacteria to kill off the bad and to keep you healthy. It is the same type of thing. The bacteria in the buttermilk that you add to the milk keeps the bad bacteria at bay. Regular milk gone sour doesn’t have that acid in it, so you get nothing but bad bacteria in spoiled milk.
The same is true with sour milk. Vinegar or acid kills bad bacteria in the milk. That is why canned pickles last so long– because the acid in them keep the bacteria away longer.
You can interchange buttermilk and sour milk in a recipe but there is a difference between the two. Often, the difference is in the texture, so when a recipe calls for buttermilk I usually try to use buttermilk and not just make my own sour milk with vinegar (although I do use sour milk in some recipes).
Buttermilk pancakes or biscuits come out slightly fluffier using buttermilk than when you substitute sour milk. That’s why they’re not called Sour Milk Pancakes. ;-)
Here’s how to store food on a budget for as little as $5 per week! A home stockpile is not just for emergencies. It is one of the BEST ways to save money on groceries because you can always shop for food at the best prices Here’s how to do it!
How To Store Food On A Budget For $5 Per Week
I have lived through extreme poverty, job loss, sickness, 12 moves, the births of 4 babies and low paying jobs, so I know how important it is to learn How to Store Food On A Budget! One of the most loving things you can do for you family is to have a stockpile of food always on hand.
Not only is a food stockpile great for emergencies, but it is so EASY! I mean SUPER EASY! It makes my life so much more hassle free because I’m not running to the grocery store every time I need something. I am able to save much more on my grocery bill by planning ahead.
Here are my top 6 tips for How to Store Food On A Budget. You can do it starting with just $5!
Start slow. Start with just 1 week extra of food. Then work your way up to 1 month, then 3 months, etc. until you have a year’s supply of food.
Figure out how much you need. If you have a family of 2, your stockpiling is going to be totally different than it is for a family of 6.
Don’t buy 15 jars of peanut butter when you have 2 kids that eat 1 jar every month. Buy just the amount that you will use. You don’t have to figure out an entire year’s worth of food at once. Just do a month or two at a time as you build your stockpile.
Buy ONLY foods you normally eat. We hate the taste of brown rice, so I buy white rice instead -brown rice doesn’t store well anyway. Instead of thinking of it as a stockpile, think, “This is my mini grocery store at home.”
DON’T BUY IN BULK! Yes, it’s in caps for a reason. The “prepper” tip to buy in bulk is seen all over the internet, but it’s a really stupid thing to do! Why? Food stays fresher the longer it is in its original package, so don’t buy huge bags of grains like rice and flour. Buy them in smaller bags so you can open them as needed. Do you know how long it would take to use up a 25lb. bag of rice? That is 100 servings of rice. If you have a large family it would go quick, but if it’s just you and hubby, it would take you a long time to eat it! Don’t buy in bulk!
$5 a week? Yeah right! No really, you can do it for $5 a week! How?
Watch sales. If something comes up on a great sale or on clearance, buy as many as you can afford.
Just start! Just get something. For $5, you can get 2 bags of beans and 2 bags of rice that will feed your family for at least a week. You could get 5 cans of fruit for $1 each. Or you could get 1 can of canned meat that would be protein for 1-2 days.
To get started, just start. At first, you are just getting some food for survival. Then, as you build your stockpile, you will be using it for your daily cooking.
Where do you store it? Anywhere you can! I have. spare room in my basement where I store our stockpile, I mean mini grocery store, :-) but you can store it anywhere. At our old house, I had 3 shelf units in my basement.
Some other ideas for stockpile storage are:
pantry (make sure it’s organized and stocked)
closets
under beds
under couches
small nooks
under stairs
as furniture (use an empty trash can and put a circle wooden top with a table cloth for an end table)
“I don’t have room for a year’s worth of food!!!” That’s fine!!! Don’t worry! Just stock up as much as you can. I know a single woman who has a great stockpile of food in just a 4×4 area in her basement.
Use it! Then, as you need items to use daily, bring them up to your pantry. Add the used items to your shopping list and restock the stockpile the next time you go to the grocery store. Make sure to add the new things to the back of the stockpile and use the older ones.
This easy homemade pizza recipe is easy to make using ingredients you already have at home! Don’t be afraid to try it! These instructions make it very easy! You’ll find everything you need to make delicious homemade pizzas, including a recipe for homemade pizza dough, along with lots of tasty topping options and other homemade pizza recipe variations you’re sure to love!
Easy Homemade Pizza Recipe And Tips
This homemade pizza recipe is so versatile and can be used for so many things.I especially like to make it to use leftovers. Don’t be afraid. Read this homemade pizza recipe all the way through because our pizza dough is easy! It uses only a few everyday ingredients and we include methods to make it that are as easy as stirring up muffins. Even if you don’t want to make your crust from scratch, read on because there are many good ideas for toppings and other things.
I am also including our homemade pizza recipe for dough and crust from our cookbook. Before you panic and stop reading, thinking it will be too much work, read on a bit and see if you don’t have a change of heart.
This pizza dough recipe can be made several different ways using the same ingredients. Each one will give you a different type of crust so keep trying the different ways until you find which way your family prefers.
3 Methods For The Pizza Dough
Method 1 – This first method is very fast and very easy. If you are a pizza gourmet, you may not want to go this direction but if you are a harassed mom who has to have dinner on the table in 20 minutes or less and have nothing in the house to eat, you will love this:
Mix the ingredients in the recipe below and knead about 10 times until smooth. Don’t let it rise. Just pat it into your pan. Add toppings and bake. Or you can make the crust first and let it sit rising four or five minutes while you prepare the toppings for it.
Method 2 – Mix the ingredients in the recipe using the original method or modify method 1 above by pressing or rolling dough on to pan and brushing with olive oil. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and freeze. When you’re ready to use it, you don’t have to thaw it. Just bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
Method 3 – Mix ingredients, knead, place in a greased bowl, cover, and put in the fridge overnight. Roll it out and then let it rise about 15 minutes. Then top and bake.
1 cup warm water (120°) 1 pkg. or 1 Tbsp. yeast 1 Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. oil (Olive oil is best) 2 tsp. crushed garlic (optional) 1 tsp. basil (optional) 1 tsp. thyme (optional) 1 tsp. oregano (optional) 2 1/2–3cups all purpose flour
Instructions
Dissolve yeast in a bowl with warm water.
Add sugar, salt and oil.
Add spices as desired. Mix well.
Gradually add flour to form a stiff dough.
Knead on a floured surface until smooth.
Place in greased bowl. Turn dough over in the bowl in order to grease both sides. Cover and let rise until doubled.
To freeze after first rising wrap in plastic wrap, put in freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.
To Make Your Homemade Pizza
Divide the dough in half for 2 medium pizzas or roll out the entire batch of dough for a 9×13 pan 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 5 minutes in an oven at 400 degrees so the dough does not become soggy.
Cover with pizza sauce. You can use a red pizza sauce like the recipe below or another sauce like an Alfredo sauce, garlic sauce or a tasty pesto. Add your choice of toppings and cheese. Bake at 400 degrees on a baking pan or pizza stone (like this one)* for about 15 minutes.
Pizza Toppings
For A Standard “Supreme” Pizza:
Red pizza sauce 1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese, grated pepperoni onions olives green peppers mushrooms sausage browned ground beef
1 onion, chopped 1/2lb. Italian sausage 2 (16 oz.) cans stewed tomatoes, chopped, with juice 1 (8 oz.) can tomato paste
salt to taste 1 clove garlic, pressed, or garlic powder (to taste) 1 bay leaf 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
Instructions
Crumble sausage in a 2-quart saucepan.
Brown the sausage with the onion.
Drain off the fat.
Add the remaining ingredients.
Simmer for 1 hour. Remove bay leaf before serving.
Other Yummy Homemade Pizza Recipe Variations:
If you prefer a different spin on your pizza, you can modify the homemade pizza recipe any way you like. Here are some delicious variations you might want to try!
White Pizza Sauce: One jar of Alfredo sauce or homemade Alfredo sauce in place of red sauce.
Greek Pizza: Black olives, artichoke hearts, red onion, and feta cheese
Hawaiian Pizza:Ham or Canadian bacon and pineapple
Meat Lovers Pizza: Sausage, salami, Italian sausage, Canadian bacon. Add any meats you enjoy.
BBQ Pizza: Use chunks of barbecued chicken with your choice of vegetables.
Garlic Pizza: Instead of a traditional tomato sauce, brush the crust with a mixture of olive oil and minced garlic. Then top as usual.
Philly Cheese Steak Pizza: Steak, mushrooms, onions with White Pizza Sauce
Mexican Pizza: Use refried beans for the sauce. Then top with hamburger, onions, jalapenos, cheddar cheese and, after cooking, top with lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream and black olives.
Confetti Pizza: White Sauce, chicken, fresh spinach, tomatoes, garlic, onion, feta cheese and mozzarella
Special White Pizza: White Sauce, spinach, artichokes, tomatoes, red onions, mushrooms, fresh basil
Other Homemade Pizza Dough Uses
Breadsticks
Use a pizza cutter and cut the rolled out dough into breadsticks. Bake according to the recipe until brown. Then brush with melted butter with crushed garlic in it and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. You can make one of the spaghetti or pizza sauce recipes from Dining on a Dime, Cookbook, Volume 1 or use jar sauce to dip them in.
Dessert
Use a pizza cutter to cut as with the breadsticks but, before baking, roll in melted butter and a mix of cinnamon and sugar. When done, you could drizzle with vanilla icing or dip in applesauce.
Make Better Use Of Your Pizza Cutter!
One of our favorite tools in the kitchen is our pizza cutter. A pizza cutter is useful for so much more than cutting pizza! Here are some ideas to use that pizza cutter to make life easier!
Cut homemade noodles
Slice French toast into sticks or small pieces
Cut pancakes and waffles
Cut brownies
Corn bread
Fruit roll-ups (may have to oil lightly)
Hot dogs, link sausages
After a while, our pizza cutter wasn’t cutting so well. I realized it had been 10 years since I had bought a new one. Make sure you get a new sharp pizza cutter and that will make all the difference!
1 loaf French bread 1 cup pizza sauce (more if desired) 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese Toppings of your choice: olives, mushrooms, peppers, cooked hamburger, sausage, onions, etc.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°.
Slice the French bread in half lengthwise and place cut-side up on the baking sheet.
Spread pizza sauce evenly over each half.
Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese, then add your favorite toppings.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly golden, about 15 minutes.
Slice into pieces and serve hot.
Bake until thoroughly warmed and the cheese begins to bubble and brown, about 15 minutes.
This recipe is a fun twist on the classic grilled cheese sandwich—warm, cheesy, and loaded with pizza flavor! It’s quick to make and a perfect substitute for frozen mini pizzas when you want something homemade and delicious in just a few minutes.
Author:Tawra Kellam
Ingredients
Bread (any kind you like) Butter or margarine, softened Mozzarella cheese slices (or shredded) Pepperoni, sliced ham, or cooked hamburger Pizza sauce (for spreading or dipping)
Instructions
Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat.
Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice, buttered side down, into the hot skillet.
Layer with cheese, then add your choice of meat topping. (Pepperoni is classic!)
Top with the other slice of bread, with the buttered side facing up.
Cook like a regular grilled cheese, flipping once, until the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Serve hot with pizza sauce on the side for dipping—or spread it inside for extra saucy flavor.
1 pizza crust (homemade, store-bought, or use canned biscuits for mini pizzas)
4 eggs, scrambled
4-6 slices cooked bacon, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Optional toppings: diced ham, cooked sausage, sausage gravy, mushrooms, onions, peppers, or other vegetables
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Prepare your pizza crust on a baking sheet or pizza pan.
Evenly sprinkle the scrambled eggs over the crust.
Add cooked bacon (or your choice of meat) and shredded cheddar cheese on top.
Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly golden.
Slice and serve hot.
Notes
Other breakfast pizza variations:
Ham and eggs
Sausage and sausage gravy
Sausage and eggs
Veggie pizza with eggs and veggies of your including mushrooms, onions, pepper and cheese
There are three pages in Dining on a Dime, Volume 1 including this homemade pizza recipe and ideas for making homemade pizza. Here are a few of them:
Other Useful Homemade Pizza Ideas:
If you have half of can of pineapple and a little bit of ham left, throw it on a crust with some cheese and you have a Hawaiian pizza.
Do you have a couple of hamburgers, hot dogs or pieces of chicken left from barbecuing? Then spread your homemade pizza crust with barbecue sauce, onions and cheese.
What about all of those garden veggies that you haven’t figured out how to use? How about a Garden Vegetable Pizza? Use zucchini, diced tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and bell peppers.
You can even make a homemade pizza recipe if you don’t have sauce. Just spread your crust with olive oil and minced garlic. Then top as usual. If you are out of pizza sauce and want to make your own, there are pizza sauce recipes in Dining on a Dime on pages 217 and 220. I have included one of them below.
For more easy homemade recipes like this easy homemade pizza recipe, check out our cookbooks:
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