Looking for a new and different twist on your favorite traditional pecan pie??? Tossing in some sliced almonds will give your pie a new flavor and texture!

Be on the lookout for sales on pecans, almonds and walnuts around the holidays…grab a few extra bags to carry you in to the new year!!!

This is a must. try. pie!
 
Ingredients
 
Homemade Crust
1 cup all-purpose flour ($.20)
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening or butter ($.30)
2-4 Tablespoons COLD water
 
Filling
4 eggs ($.40)
1 cup brown sugar ($.20)
1/2 cup maple syrup ($.50)
4 Tbsp butter, melted ($.40)
1 Tbsp vanilla ($.10)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup pecans ($1)
3/4 cup sliced almonds ($.75)
 
Directions
 
Preheat oven to 375.
 
1. To prepare homemade pie crust, place flour in mixing bowl; add butter and cut in with pastry blender. Add salt and then add COLD water 1 Tablespoon at a time. Mix and toss ingredients together with a fork until dough ball forms. Place in plastic wrap or Ziploc baggie and put into the refrigerator while you make the filling.

2. To prepare filling, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, vanill and salt together in a mixing bowl. 

3. Whisk.

 4. Stir in the pecans and sliced almonds.

5. Once filling is prepared, take the dough ball from the fridge and place on lightly floured surface. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the crust dough into a circle at least 12 inches in diameter and gently fold pie crust into quarters. Move the folded pie crust from the counter to the pie plate.  Unfold in the pie plate.  Pour filling into pie shell. Flute edges in your favorite design.

6. Place pie crust shield over the top or use foil to make a shield to keep the crust edges from burning or turning dark brown while baking.

7. Bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes, or until filling has set.

8. Let cool completely on cooling rack. Refrigerate. It’s easiest to slice pie when its cold!

6. Serve cool with whipped cream or warm with vanilla bean ice cream. You’ll have to imagine the dollop of whipped cream

Cost $3.85

I have really enjoyed experimenting with butternut squash recipes this year!

This one is a keeper!  A fantabulous side dish!

Ingredients
1 large butternut squash (about 2-3 pounds) ($1.50)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil ($.10)
1/4 cup maple syrup (free – $1)
Few dashes each of ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice ($.15)

Directions

1. Chop off the stem and bottom of the squash.  Using a vegetable peeler, peel off remaining skin.

2. Cut the squash in half crosswise just above where it gets larger, or where the seeds live.

3. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds.

4. Dice the whole squash into 1/2 inch cubes.

5. Place squash into an 8×8-inch glass baking dish.  Sprinkle with olive oil and maple syrup.  Toss.

6. Add a few dashes each of ground cinnamon, ground ginger and allspice.  Toss.

7. Bake uncovered at 400° for 30-35 minutes.

8. Serve Maple Roasted Butternut Squash with your Thanksgiving Feast. 

Serves 8.

Cost $1.75-$2.75

Cheeseless???  What?  There’s cheese in the picture!

Right. Right.  I topped the enchiladas that I served to the Hubs with some cheese.  This is, of course, optional!  The inside of the enchilada and the top does not NEED cheese.  These were quite zesty, zippy and zanny without the cheese!!

And for the record.  I made these before baby was born.  Most of what you see here in the next few weeks I made and wrote up pre-baby.  I wanted to keep sharing recipes with you all while I recovered, so rest assured, I am not “up and at ‘em” just yet.  I am thoroughly enjoying this sweet time of bonding with baby and enjoying our family of FIVE!

Ingredients
2 tsp vegetable or canola oil ($.05)
1 lb. ground chicken ($2.19)
1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped ($.15)
1 hot pepper, seeded and chopped (from the garden…the last one!)
1 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
Salt and pepper
1 6 oz. can organic tomato paste, plus 2 cans worth water ($.40) Used $1 coupon
1 6 oz. can’s worth of homemade or store bought chicken stock (free, or $.25)
1 Tbsp chili powder ($.10)
1 tsp ground cumin ($.05)
1 tsp garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper each ($.10)
1 cup cooked rice ($.10) Great way to use up leftover rice.
10 small corn tortillas ($.69) or 8 medium/taco flour tortillas ($1.29) Use corn to stay GF!
1-2 cups shredded cheese, optional ($.60-$1.25) Regularly on sale at my store for $1.25/2 cups. Omit if dairy free.
1 bag frozen corn ($.49) Bought on sale with store promotion and coupon!

Directions
(Perheat oven to 350.)

1. In large skillet, heat the oil and the add the ground chicken, chopped onion, chopped hot pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

2. In small saucepan, add tomato paste, 2 cans worth of water and 1 can worth of chicken stock.  Whisk together and add in the chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles. Remove from heat.

3. Once the ground chicken has cooked through, add 1 cup of the tomato/enchilada sauce and the 1 cup of cooked rice. Stir together.  *Note: I always save leftover rice and freeze it.  This is a perfect meal to use up some frozen rice!

4. Spread a few spoonfuls of the chicken and rice filling into the tortilla, roll up and place into baking dish.

5. Pour the remaining tomato/enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.
6. Optional: Before baking, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the enchilada sauce.
7. Cook frozen corn as directed on package instructions.
8. Serve Cheeseless Chicken Enchiladas with Corn. 

Cost $4.97

So I’m still here.  Still cooking.  Still feeding the boys.

When Tiffany and Lisa shared these recipes with me, I couldn’t decide which to try.  So I made both.  We sampled each…and the rest went into the overflowing freezer.

I will let you go recipe exploring yourselves.

Lisa’s Banana Cinnamon Waffles

Tiffany’s Gingerbread Waffles with Vanilla Cream Sauce (pictured above)

Org Junkie’s Laura also shared this Gluten Free Dairy Free pancake recipe that her son L-O-V-E-S!

Now you see why I made them both!

We had these with some fresh pineapple and scrambled eggs.

On the baby front…if this little man doesn’t arrive over the weekend, he will arrive on Monday.  We have made the decision to be induced if necessary!  So keep your eyes peeled on Monday.  I’ll likely send out a few Twitter updates on Monday, if you wanna follow along!  So excited to meet the little guy!!!

Next week…a fun and fantastic Thanksgiving series coming up! 

Have a super weekend!

Because I’m ALL ABOUT honesty and transparency here on the site…I’m going to share this #FAIL with you!

I made the below recipe.  And washed it down the sink.

I was super sad and bummed because I had used tomatoes from the garden.

It went like this on Twitter…

I had a few folks offer links and recipes for their favorite tomato soups…but I really just wasn’t into making another one.  And when asked by Lynn what went wrong, I said this…

So there you have it.  My fail!

I ended up making a quick “Italian stirfry” with mixed frozen Italian style veggies, 2 diced chicken breasts and some pasta.  All in the same skillet.  I’ll share the specifics on that recipe another day.

I’m off to mourn the loss of my precious garden tomatoes.  Lost, tragically, in this failed experiment!

(I will say that the roasting tomatoes turned out a most heavenly scent throughout the house this afternoon!)

Ingredients
About 2 lbs. Roma tomatoes (I used some I had frozen from the garden…FREE!)
Few drizzles of olive oil ($.05)
Pinchful of dried basil (free!)
Pinchful of garlic powder (as I’m all out of fresh garlic!) ($.05)
Salt and freshly cracked pepper
3 cups homemade chicken stock (free)
Salt and pepper to taste
Bread slices for Toast ($.50)
Butter or dairy-free margarine
2 large or 3 small broccoli heads ($.82)

**I would have like to have served some grilled cheese sandwiches or homemade parmesan croutons/sticks, but opted for toast to keep it dairy free!

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400. Place Roma tomatoes snuggly into a baking dish or pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle dried or fresh chopped basil, garlic powder and salt and pepper over the top. Roast the tomatoes for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven.
2. Once roasted, place the chicken stock and roasted tomatoes into a blender or food processor and puree. Pour into saucepan and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toast the bread. Or make grilled cheese or homemade parmesan croutons!
4. Steam broccoli in stovetop steamer or in a microwaveable bowl with 1/4 cup of water, covered with plastic wrap, for 4-5 minutes.
5. Serve Roasted Tomato Soup with Toast and Broccoli.

Cost $1.42
Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

A big thanks to Justine for sharing this recipe with me! I tossed in some diced ham I had in the freezer.

Easy. Quick. Delicious!

And by quick.  I mean less than 15 minutes quick!  Just get the pasta boiling and work on the rest while the pasta is cooking.  15 minutes.  That’s it!!!!

This would be fantastic with leftover holiday ham! If you’re planning/thinking that far ahead!!!

Ingredients
1 pound bow-tie pasta, but I used fusili because its what I had! ($.50) Bought recently with $1/2 coupon when on sale for $1
1 Tbsp vegetable oil ($.05)
1 bunch broccoli (about 1 lb) florets ($.76)
1 Tbsp minced garlic ($.05)
2 cups chicken broth (free if homemade!)  **See my note below
2 cups cooked, diced ham ($1.50) **This was not in the original recipe!
1  15 oz. can of cannellini or white beans, rinsed ($.79)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice ($.05)
1/4-1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese ($.25)
16 oz. bag of frozen corn ($.88) On sale this week!

**I used water instead of broth because I used ham.  I figured the ham would give the water some flavor and didn’t want the chicken and ham flavors to clash!  If you want a vegetarian version, then use vegetable broth and omit the ham.

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package direction.
2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add broccoli and garlic; stir over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes until broccoli is bright green. Add broth (or water) and cook 2 to 3 minutes until broccoli is crisp tender. Stir in diced ham, beans and lemon juice.
3. Drain pasta and put into a warmed large serving bowl. Add broccoli mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Toss to mix well.
4. Cook frozen corn as indicated on package instructions.
5. Serve Pasta with White Beans and Broccoli and Corn.

**I only sprinkled the cheese into Steve and mine’s bowls. Easy to keep this meal dairy-free by omitting the cheese!

Cost $4.83
Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

This recipe is from the fabulous Stephanie O’Dea’s Make it Fast, Cook it Slow Cookbook. I just can’t get enough of her recipes!  If you don’t own this book, you should!

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
1 beaten egg ($.10)
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts ($2.31)
1/2 cup bread crumbs ($.20)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese ($.25)
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning ($.02)
Couple shakes of salt and pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese ($.75) Bought this week with store mailer coupon
1 26 oz. can favorite marinara sauce ($1) On sale for $1
1/2 pound spaghetti noodles ($.25) Bought recently with $1/2 coupon when on sale for $1, only used half the package!
1 box frozen spinach (free) Used free item coupon this week

Directions
1. Place olive oil in the base of the slow cooker.
2. In small bowl, whisk the egg. In another small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese (omit if dairy free!), Italian seasonings and salt and pepper.
3. Dip each chicken breast into the egg, then coat with the bread crumbs mixture. Then place into the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with handful of shredded mozzarella cheese. Pour marinara sauce over the top.
4. Cook in the slow cooker on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
5. Just before dinner, prepare your favorite pasta according to package instructions. I choose whole wheat spaghetti noodles.
6. Cook frozen spinach as directed on package.
7. Serve Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan over Pasta with Spinach.

Cost $4.98
Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Tonight’s Recipe comes from Alisa of One Frugal Foodie! She shares a Vegan/Vegetarian (optional), Dairy-Free, Soy-Free (use a chickpea miso), Gluten-Free, Peanut-Free recipe tonight!

Alisa blogs at One Frugal Foodie with a focus on using whole foods to create inexpensive, healthy recipes. She is also the founder of Go Dairy Free , the website, and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. She currently resides in beautiful Lake Tahoe – okay, not actually in the lake, but next to it!

Ingredients
1 Teaspoon Grapeseed or Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 Cups Chicken Broth or Chicken-Flavored Vegetarian Broth*
¾ lb Potatoes, diced into ½ inch cubes (I used red potatoes, skin and all, but Yukon Gold would be beautiful in this)
¼ Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Cashew Butter (optional, but a nice addition for flavor and texture)
1 Tablespoon Light Miso**
1 Teaspoon Dried or Fresh Chives
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Directions
1. Heat the oil over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and sauté until fragrant, just 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add in the broth, potatoes, and onion powder, and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low again, cover and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until those potatoes are nice and tender.
3. Place the soup and potatoes in your blender (may need to do this in two batches) along with the cashew butter and miso. You may want to let it cool for a few minutes, and make sure you secure the lid as you puree the soup until it is nice and smooth (lest some of that hot liquid go flying!).
4. Return the soup to the pot, add the chives and black pepper to taste, and heat it to your desired temperature.
5. Serve topped with wonton strips or your favorite crumbled crackers. I used some wonderful flour tortilla strips (not unlike wonton strips) that were leftover from a dinner out.

* If you are watching your sodium, feel free to used reduced-sodium broth, I tested with regular though.

**Miso is sold in the refrigerated section of many grocers and Asian markets. I buy a sizable tub for around $3.50 at Whole Foods, and it lasts quite a while. It keeps for around 6 months (I believe) once opened, so it easily fits on the convenient frugal foodie list, and adds a nice jolt of salty flavor. You can get several different types of misos, but a light soy miso or chickpea miso is what I would recommend for this one.

Yields: 2 Servings

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.
__________________________________________________

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**UPDATE: Giveaway now closed!  Winner is Jennie!!!  Congrats

Stretching my food and my dollar are ESSENTIAL in my kitchen!

So when challenged to come up with 2 holiday recipes using 1 can of Carnation Evaporated Milk, I was all for it!!!

(And keep on reading…cause there’s a SUPER COOL giveaway below!)

Ginger Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients
2 Tbsp butter ($.20)
1 cup chopped onion ($.15)
2 cups homemade chicken broth or 1 15 ounce can chicken broth (free – $1)
1 cup water
1 Tbsp brown sugar ($.05)
1 tsp ground ginger ($.05)
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin, or 2 cups pureed pumpkin ($1.50)
1 cup Carnation Evaporated Milk ($.75)

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add in the chopped onion and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, or until begin to turn opaque. Add the chicken broth, water, brown sugar, ginger and salt and pepper. Stir ingredients together.
2. Whisk in the canned or fresh pureed pumpkin and the Carnation Evaporated milk. Cook over medium heat, or at a rolling bubble, for 15 minutes.
3. Pour soup into blender or food processor and blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until soup is pureed.
4. Return the soup to the saucepan and keep warm over low heat until ready to serve.
5. Garnish each serving bowl with a dash of cinnamon and/or ground ginger.

Cost $2.70

Since I didn’t use the entire can for this soup, I thought I’d use the remaining to whip up some muffins for breakfast the following morning! Or you could freeze them to eat another morning! They thaw beautifully!

Cheesy Sausage Muffins

Ingredients
1 cup flour ($.20)
1 tsp baking powder ($.05)
1 tsp sugar ($.03)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup canola oil ($.20)
2 eggs ($.20)
1/2 cup Carnation Evaporated milk ($.25)
1/4 cup water
1/2 lb. cooked all-natural sausage ($1)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ($.75)

Directions
1. Grease 12 muffin tins and preheat oven to 375.
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add the oil and 2 eggs, then pour in the rest of the Carnation Evaporated milk and 1/4 cup water. Whisk together.

2. Stir in the cooked sausage and shredded cheese.
3. Fill the greased muffin tins 2/3 full with batter.

4. Bake muffins in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until cooked through.
5. Let cool on cooling rack before serving. Eat up or freeze for another morning!

Cost $2.68

Now you’ve got breakfast ready for the next morning!

Giveaway

It’s so easy in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season to fall back on old favorites because you’re in a rush and have no time to look for new recipes to experiment with…so to help you come up with some new ideas and try out some new dishes for your family feasts, Carnation has created a Holiday Recipe Guide that is sure to stir up some creativity in your kitchen.  I know it did in mine!!!

You can request the Holiday Recipe Guide to be sent by mail or you can download a .pdf version from the website.

Not used Carnation Evaporated Milk before when cooking or baking?  Simply substitute it cup for cup in recipes that call for regular drinking milk.  Pretty simple!

Are you up for some experimenting with Carnation Evaporated Milk this holiday season???

I’m offering a $100 Visa Gift Card to 1 lucky winner to do just that!  Winner will also receive a copy of the Holiday Recipe Guide booklet, as well as several free item coupons for Carnation Evaporated Milk.

Entry Details

1. Contest ends Thursday, November 12th at 10 pm EST. Winners will be announced back here on this post, and notified via email with further instructions.

2. Entry #1: Leave a comment just saying you want to win.

3. Entry #2: Leave a SEPARATE comment telling me in what way you promoted this contest (i.e., posting it in a forum, posting about it on your blog, Tweet about it, emailing all your friends, and/or subscribe to my feed by email or in a reader).

4. Entry #3: Leave another SEPARATE comment telling me which of the recipes from the Holiday Recipe Guide you’d like to try this holiday season!

5. Winner will be selected by Random.org.

**NOTE: If you receive the email newsletter and wish to enter this giveaway, click on the title of this giveaway to get to the site and leave a comment on the site with your name and email address to be entered!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk. I did receive compensation for the ingredients purchased to make this meal, as well as for my time in preparing the recipes.  You can read the full disclosure policy for $5 Dinners here.

I found a jar of apricot preserves in my pantry.  And there’s not a better way to use it up than this!

I used the Apricot Chicken recipe from the Make it Fast, Cook it Slow Cookbook!

Hello, delicious.

Ingredients
3 large or 4 small chicken breasts ($2.57)
About 2/3 cup apricot preserves ($.75)
1 tsp dried minced onion flakes ($.05)
1 Tbsp dijon mustard ($.05)
1 Tbsp soy sauce ($.05)
1/4 tsp ginger ($.02)
1 cup white rice ($.20)
1 small spaghetti squash (about 2 lbs.) ($1.03)
Butter and brown sugar/honey ($.20)

Directions
1. Place chicken breasts in the base of the slow cooker.
2. In small bowl, stir together the apricot preserves, onion flakes, dijon mustard, soy sauce, and ginger. Pour over the chicken. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours.
3. About an hour before dinner, bake the spaghetti squash, just as you would bake a butternut squash. Scrape out the flesh and combine with butter and brown sugar or honey.
4. In small saucepan, add 2 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil. Add 1 cup white rice, and return water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
5. Serve Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken with Sweet Spaghetti Squash and Rice.

Cost $4.92