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Archive of posts tagged Cooking

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

This is only the 2nd time I have made this but this time, I went on my own and tweaked it a little to make it my own version. I can honestly say it isn’t that much different than the first recipe that I made and I still like it but I think my hubby would prefer I used Velveeta cheese over any cheese at all…

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter – .15
3 tablespoons flour – .10
12 oz. can low fat Carnation Evaporated Milk – (got this for free when they were on sale at Kroger for  .50 and there was a  $1.00/2 coupon in the paper close to Christmas or Easter I believe so I needed to use it!!)
6 oz. Elbow Macaroni – .68 for 12oz at Kroger only used 1/2 the package so .34 cents!
7 oz. Kraft Shredded Cheddar Cheese – on sale for $1.88 last week at Kroger with the Mega sale
salt & pepper to taste

Boil macaroni in 6 cups of water until tender.  Melt butter in skillet.  Slowly add in flour, stirring well to form a paste consistency.  Add milk and whisk to remove any lumps.  Simmer on low heat, while stirring to thicken (about 2-3 minutes).  Add cheese and mix well until melted.  Rinse and drain cooked macaroni.  Pour in to pan coated evenly with cooking spray.  Pour cheese sauce over noodles and mix well.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.

This reminds me a little of KFC Mac & Cheese when I used the Kraft Sharp Cheddar…

Total $2.47 (approximate)

Serves 6 to 8 generous portions

~Monday Menu~ Frugal Style

Well, I got not one single idea or comment on my cry for help Saturday evening for ideas for frugal or simple meals so I had to “punt” Sunday after Church when hubby and I went to the grocery store.  Here is what we came up with for under $65.00 for the week…

Monday: Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce, Green Beans, Salad & Frozen Garlic Bread (left over from a box in the freezer)

Tuesday: Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatos, Corn & Salad

Wednesday: This is our “Mustgo” night – some people call it left overs – we call it “mustgos” – everything in the fridge must go!

Thursday – Tacos & Tamales, Refried Beans, Corn, Salad – we have tons of shells and seasoning left over from DD1′s graduation party and the Kraft Cheese was on sale at Kroger this week so we stocked up.

Friday: I haven’t decided but I will come up with some kind of casserole with boneless, skinnless chicken breasts I have left over from the 40oz bag of Tyson’s Chicken I bought last week for $4.5o.  Maybe King Ranch Casserole…still unsure of this one but I have a few days to decide.  The Pulled BBQ Sandwiches in the crockpot & Baked Mac and Cheese from last week was awesome so maybe I will make that again.

Saturday: Digiorno Pizza I got for $1.5o with my $4.00 coupon at CVS this week!

Maybe I will be able to throw in a few more treats for desserts if I feel up to it and have time…so what’s on your menu for the week?

“Easy as pie” Chocolate Chip Brownie Pie

With the Texas heat beating down on us this late in July, you would think the last place anyone would want to spend a Sunday afternoon would be in their Kitchen.  Well, that is the only place I want to be these past few weekends.  Being domestic and cooking for my family makes me feel good.  I don’t often get to do special things like this for them so I say they should enjoy it while they can!  I am looking for recipes that use only ingredients that we already have on hand so that I don’t need to spend money unnecessarily.  This one in particular was simple and included everything we had except for the nuts which didn’t hurt to excluded so that is why I picked it.  It’s certainly a frugal recipe as well…now, if it tastes good too, I’d have to give it 5 stars!!

Chocolate Chip Brownie Pie

2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa
1/2 c. chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat eggs; add sugar and butter; mix well. Sift together flour and cocoa; add. Blend well. Add chocolate chips, nuts and vanilla. Pour into greased 8 inch pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until set (like brownies). Cool before cutting.

This would go great with Vanilla Ice Cream.  We will be serving ours with a little whipped topping on top since I just happened to have a brand new container in the fridge just waiting to be opened!

Here is my finished “pie” which really wasn’t too much like a pie when it was cut.  The top formed a crispy layer so when I cut in to it, the top cracked in to a lot of pieces and the inside was not quite “set” – in fact, it was still a little soft.  We spooned ours on to a plate and topped it with the whipped cream but it was still wonderful!  When I woke up this morning, there was only a small portion left in the pie plate so either we have mice or it was a pretty big hit!|

Happy baking =)

Next Weeks Menu MADNESS – SHOUT OUT FOR HELP!!!

This is about the time I should be planning my meals for next week but I am so far behind already!  Tomorrow we will be attending a wedding so I figure the kids can fend for themselves but we really should get up early and get some shopping done because I believe our Sunday will be busy with church events and then we will be visiting some friends that just had a baby and their family from out of town.  Time will be limited so I need some ideas from my readers!!  I need some very frugal, quick & easy meals for a family of 4 – picky 4 that is…any ideas will be helpful – no need to leave recipes unless I can’t find them online.  I just need basics.

If you read this, just comment me with a few ideas of easy dinners, desserts & snacks.  No lunches or breakfasts are necessary.  Your help will be tremendously appreciated!!!!

Thanks, Love & HUGS!!

Something about this time of year makes me hungry…

…as if I am not hungry all the time!  The holidays are much worse though because it’s almost like it has been ingrained in my head that  “I must eat, I must bake, I must eat more”…I must gain weight.  Well, I am trying to change those thoughts and this year I am going to do it a little different.  No, I am not going to start a full on diet right at the holidays but I am going to help myself rather than do more harm!  Today I will share a few of the recipes I will be trying out on my family this year.  It’s a good thing they don’t read my blog or they would know what they were really eating!

Other than the obvious Turkey, I am going to throw in these simple Weight Watchers “Simply Filling” recipes shared on one of my favorite sites, BootCamp Buddies – Thank you to all who contributed to these recipes.  I wish I could personally thank you but I am not sure who the credit goes to!

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients
1 serving cooking spray (5 one-second sprays per serving)
1 1/2 pound sweet potato(es), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks or Canned Sweet Potatoes in water
8 oz canned crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
3 tsp  Splenda (R) No Calorie Sweetener
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (I like Pumpkin Pie Spice)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
Place potatoes in prepared dish. Combine crushed pineapple, Splenda and cinnamon in a small bowl; add to potatoes and toss until well mixed.
Bake, stirring after 30 minutes, until sweet potato mixture is bubbly, about 45 minutes. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving.

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I can’t wait to try this one!

Cranberry Relish

Ingredients
1 bag of cranberries
2 small apples cored and diced
1 can mandarin oranges
1 can crushed pineapple, reserve juice
1 small box SF Cranberry or Raspberry Jello
Splenda to taste

Instructions
Place cranberries and chopped apple in food processor and pulse until fine but not pureed. Pour pineapple juice in measuring cup and add water to make 1 cup. Add drained oranges and pineapple and pulse until mixed. Transfer to large bowl. Microwave the juice/water to boiling and add jello. Stir until dissolved. Add to fruit mixture and stir well. Add a bit of  Splenda if you want it a little sweeter. Chill for several hours.

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Cranberry Sauce (I did this one last year – it was yummy!)

Ingredients
1 cup Splenda
1 cup water
1 12-ounce package Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries

Instructions
Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil; add cranberries, return to boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. Makes 2 1/4 cups.

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Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1/3 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

Instructions
Place potatoes, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a large saucepot. Add enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes and garlic are fork tender, ten to twenty minutes depending on the size of the cubes. Drain, then place potatoes and garlic in a mixing bowl.
With an electric mixer at medium speed, blend potatoes and garlic until just mashed. Add sour cream, milk, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. With mixer at high speed, blend just until smooth. Stir in parsley. ——————————————————————————————————————

We will also be having deviled eggs that I will make with Fat Free Mayo and sugar free pickle relish.  For the sweetness I will add a dash of Splenda, a veggie tray with FF Sour Cream & dry Ranch dip mix.  Now as I said in the beginning of this post, I am not going full on Fat Free & tasteless so of course we will have pies & rolls.  What would Thanksgiving be without those?

Hope you find these recipes helpful to you if you are on the same track I am!

Enjoy & Happy Thanksgiving to you!