I’ve been waiting. And waiting. And waiting…to try this pasta!  I l-o-n-g time ago, I made some Spinach Pesto from the garden.  And it’s been patiently waiting in the freezer for me.  To eat it!

*I wish I had not waited until now!*

The  reason I’ve been waiting…I didn’t think the boys would go for “green pasta” for dinner.  They like green foods. Broccoli, peas, green beans…they love those.  But green “stuff” on pasta.  I’d rather not “waste” it on a dinner they wouldn’t eat or enjoy.

The boys are spending the night with grandma (while I work on some projects), so tonight is perfect!

Steve and I thoroughly enjoyed this dinner!!!

(We each had 2 bowls and still had enough for lunch leftovers!)

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts ($1.75)
1 tsp olive oil ($.03)
Salt and pepper
1 box penne pasta ($.50) Sale + coupon!
About 1/2 cup homemade pesto from the garden ($.75)
2 cups frozen carrots ($.80)

Directions
1. Place chicken breasts in shallow dish and drizzle olive oil over top and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let sit for 30 minutes. Grill until cooked through. Dice.

2. Cook pasta as directed on package instructions. Drain and rinse.

3. Toss pasta with pesto and grilled chicken.
4. Cook carrots as directed on package.
5. Serve Grilled Chicken Spinach Pesto Pasta with Carrots.

Cost $3.83

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Company is coming for dinner.  And all you can think about is…do I have enough $$$ in this week’s budget to make a nice meal for our dinner guests??!!??

If you’re on a tight budget, but want to splurge a bit…to make a nice meal for your friends…but not without compromising your budget!  Here you go…

This could be a meal in and of itself…but with a side salad, it’s complete!

Ingredients
2.7 lb beef round roast ($5.90) On sale $2.49/lb.
6 medium white potatoes ($.80)
2 onions, cut into quarters ($.40)
4 large carrots ($.40)
1 tsp of green spice…basil or oregano or Italian seasonings or combo ($.05)
1 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
Salt and pepper
1 can of diced tomatoes ($.19)

Side salad with tomatoes and dressing ($2)

Directions

1. Place beef roast in roasting pan with fat side up.  (I did not sear this roast, but would highly recommend that for a more moist beef.) Add quartered potatoes, onions and carrots around the roast.  Sprinkle with green spice, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

2. Insert meat thermometer.

3. Pour can of petite diced red tomatoes over the roast. Place lid on roasting pan.

4. Roast at 325 for 2-2.5 hours, or until meat thermometer reads how you want your roast done.

• 140 degrees – Rare
• 150 – Medium Rare
• 160 – Medium
• 170 – Well done

5. Prepare salad.

6. Serve Beef Roast, Potatoes, Carrots with Side Salad.

Cost $9.79

Serves 6-8 adults

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Tonight’s dinner is straight out of the freezer!

From the freezer: 2 cups of shredded chicken, 1 container of chopped up summer veggies, about 2 cups of homemade chicken stock, blanched broccoli

Toss into pot. Stir occasionally. Eat!

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil ($.06)
1 large zucchini, chopped ($1)
1 yellow zucchini, chopped ($1)
1 yellow summer squash, chopped ($1)
1 large green onion, chopped ($1)
1 celery stalk, chopped ($.10)
1 carrot, peeled and chopped ($.10)
About 2 cups of homemade chicken stock (free)
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken ($1.50)
2 tsp garlic powder ($.10)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup white rice ($.20) I would have preferred this with brown rice, but didn’t have time to wait 30 more minutes for it to cook!
2 broccoli heads ($.50) Bought when on sale for $1/4…blanched and froze!

Directions
1. To a large saucepan, add olive oil. Toss in the partially thawed chopped veggies. (Or fresh if you’re using fresh!) Saute for 6-7 minutes, or until are completely thawed.

Add the chicken stock plus 1-2 cups of water. (Add enough water to cover all the veggies. It’s difficult to quantify the liquids in this recipe because the frozen veggies added quite a bit of liquid to the pot.) Add the shredded chicken. Cook for 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I let mine cook down so it was pretty “thick” and more stew-like than soup-like.)

2. In a smaller saucepan, add 2 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add rice, return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff rice with fork before serving.
3. Steam the blanched broccoli for 4-5 minutes in stovetop steamer, or in a microwavable bowl covered with plastic wrap.
4. Serve Chicken Zucchini Stew over Rice with a side of Broccoli.

Cost $6.56 OOPS!

This dinner was a *smidge* over…but there were A.L.O.T. of leftovers…and it was LOVELY to have summer veggies in the DEAD of winter!

P.S. Be sure to check out the cookbook signing schedule…coming up next week…Dayton and Columbus! And updates for Indianapolis and Cincinnati!!!

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UPDATED with cooking time! Oops!!!

When I saw mushrooms marked down at the store…I took advantage…and I made this soup!  That night.

I found (and slightly modified) the recipe in the Smuckers Family Favorite Recipes booklet.

Scrum-didli-umptious!

Ingredients
2 Tbsp butter or margarine (I used dairy free)($.20)
1 small onion, chopped ($.20)
2 carrot stalks, peeled and diced ($.20)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)
About 8 oz. of mushrooms, chopped and sliced ($.99)
2 cups water
4 cups homemade chicken broth (free)(Substitute with vegetable broth for a vegetarian version!)
1 cup pearled barley ($.50)
2 tsp dried dill ($.25)
2 tsp fresh parsley ($.25)(wishing I’d made this earlier in the year with parsley from the garden!)
Salt and pepper to taste
Sister Schubert’s Dinner Rolls ($1) Used coupon when on sale!
Butter and Jam ($.25)

**Throw in some leftover chicken or turkey into this soup!

Directions

1. Add butter or margarine to large saucepan and let it melt.  Saute the chopped onions, diced carrots and garlic.  Once onions become opaque, add in the sliced and/or chopped mushrooms.  Saute for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add water and broth and bring to a boil.  Add the pearled barley, dill, parsley, salt and pepper. (Add cooked chicken or turkey here if you wish!). Reduce heat so the soup cooks at a rolling boil.  Cook for 45 minutes, or until barley has cooked through.  (Note: I used pearled barley, not quick cooking barley.  Follow time directions on package if using quick cook barley!)
3. Warm rolls as directed on package and serve with butter and jam.
4. Serve Mushroom Barley Soup with Rolls and Jam.

Cost $3.94

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I pulled out some stuff from the freezer. Celery. Shredded Chicken. Chicken stock.

Then went looking for a new way to use it all up.  I found this recipe on Katie’s Kitchen Stewardship.  And I went from there.

Then chopped some fresh carrots and onions.

(When I probably should have been taking a nap…as 2 boys were napping and the other was at school.)

But I’ve missed cooking.  So I cooked.

(But I don’t think I’m quite ready to cook and blog about it every night. Not just yet.)

I’ll be ready soon.

Oh. And the Apricot Acorn Squash.  That’s a keeper of a side dish!!!

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock (free)
1 1/2 cup brown rice ($.60)
1 cup chopped celery ($.20)
1 small onion, chopped ($.30)
2 carrot sticks, peeled and diced ($.20)
2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken ($1.50)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large acorn squash, halved and seeded ($1.12) About 2 lbs…been on sale for $.49/lb!
1 Tbsp butter or margarine, softened (I used dairy-free) ($.10)
3 Tbsp Smuckers Apricot Preserves ($.50) (Not gonna lie…I got these free from when I was at Smuckers…but I’ll include the estimated cost into the recipe)

Directions
1. Cut acorn squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds.  Place upside down in glass baking dish with 1/2 inch of water and cover with foil.  Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes.
2. In large saucepan, combine chicken stock plus 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Add brown rice and return to boil.  Cover and reduce heat to medium.  Cook for about 20 minutes.
3. Add chopped celery, onion and carrots and stir into the rice.  Cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until rice is tender. If need be, add 1/2 – 1 cup of water to prevent from drying out. Once rice has cooked, add in the shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. In a small bowl, combine softened butter or margarine with the apricot preserves.  After squash has cooked for 35-45 minutes, remove from oven, flip over the squash (using a hot pad!) and spoon the butter/preserve mixture into the squash.  Using a fork, poke a few holes into the squash flesh, so that when the butter/preserve mixture melts, it can get deep down into the squash! Return to oven and continue baking, uncovered, for 20-30 more minutes, or until squash flesh is tender all the way through.

5. Serve Chicken and Rice with Apricot Acorn Squash.

Cost $4.52

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I’ve had these dumplings. And they are scrumptious!!! Marianne made these for us just after Tyler was born…and I’m so glad she’s sharing the recipe with us!!! (I think it’s the zing of the lemon that makes this so delish!)

Without further ado, Marianne and her Savory Chicken and Dumplings…

I’m no fan of cold weather which means I that I spend the long, gray Ohio winters wearing two pairs of socks and layers of fleece.

But with the coming of winter, my inner-foodie does get excited. Cold weather means it’s time for bowls and bowls of warm soups, stews, and chili. Yum!

My hands-down fave cold weather comfort food is Savory Chicken & Dumplings. It’s a great recipe on it’s own but also is one that can be tweaked for whatever combination of savory spices you prefer or have on hand. Feel free to substitute turkey (think leftovers from Thanksgiving) for the chicken as well.

Ingredients
3 lbs chicken thighs (can substitute drumsticks or a whole fryer)
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 lemon, juiced (save the juiced halves to use as well)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
salt & pepper to taste
lemon juice to taste (from the lemon you juiced)

Directions
1. Add chicken, water, salt, pepper, and bay leaf, to stockpot; toss in the juiced halves of the lemon. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower heat, simmering until chicken is cooked. (Anywhere from 20 minutes to 1 hour depending on what size chicken/chicken pieces you use).

2. Combine flour, salt and shortening in a small bowl; cut shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture begins to clump into a rough dough. Add milk; use pastry cutter to finish mixing the dumpling dough. It should be slightly sticky. Set aside.

3. Once chicken is cooked, remove chicken and bay leaf from the stockpot; debone the chicken and discard bones and skin as well as the bay leaf. Chop the cooked chicken. Allow the chicken stock in the stockpot to cool; skim the fat off the top.

4. To the chicken stock, add the cooked chicken, the carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Add more salt and pepper to taste as well as additional lemon juice to taste; I like my chicken and dumplings to have a rich lemon flavor to complement the thyme. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for twenty minutes or until vegetables are cooked and soft.

5. Remove lid; add dumpling dough by the spoonful to the mixture. Simmer for 5 minutes with the lid off; cover pot and finish simmering for another 15 minutes for the dumplings to fully cook.

6. Eat and be warm & happy!

If you don’t have thyme in the pantry, you can substitute tarragon or basil or any other herb that complements the zing of the lemon juice.

Note that if you refrigerate the leftovers…assuming you have leftovers…you’ll need to add a little extra chicken stock or water when you warm up your next bowl. The dumplings absorb quite a bit of the original broth when you refrigerate this.

For those of you who swear by your slow cooker, you can adapt this recipe by using cooked chicken and prepared chicken stock. Allow the veggies, spices, and chicken to simmer in the slow cooker during the day then add the dumplings about 30-40 minutes before serving.

When not channeling her inner-foodie, Marianne blogs about saving money at The New Frugal Mom and scribbles her life down one word at a time at Writer-Mommy. She’s also a contributor to Family Friendly Cincinnati and the new Ohio Moms Blog.

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Tonight’s $5 Dinner comes from Amanda at All Frugal Stuff!

Amanda is a newlywed, a coupon clipper and a freebie lover. She loves to save money any way she can. She enjoys writing articles, book reviews and top ten lists. In her spare time she likes to read, watch movies and search for deals.

Ingredients
Large can (32 oz) tomato juice
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots diced
1 can green beans
1 can corn
1 cup uncooked pasta noodles (I like to use penne or ziti)
Salt & pepper to taste

*Note: A package of frozen mixed vegetables or canned mixed vegetables
could be substituted, instead of fresh ingredients. I’ve also added
ground beef to this recipe before to make vegetable beef soup.

Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, mix all vegetables with tomato juice,
cover and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until vegetables are
softened. Add pasta to mixture and simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes,
until pasta is cooked. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool for a
few minutes.

Estimated cost $3.50

Serves 4.

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Janice shares her favorite “Poor Man’s Stoup” recipe with us tonight!  What a fantastic and filling meal!

And if you’re looking to save a little extra on ground beef, there’s a new coupon available..details here!

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef or chuck (sausage or chicken works well too) ($1.50)
Carrots (from the garden)
Celery ($.20)
Onions (from the garden)
Beef stock (2 cans)/also works with chicken stock ($1.00 bought on sale for $.50 a can)
1 to 1 1/2 cups of rice ($.25)
Bay leaf, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper, terragon, sage ($.25)
1 can of cream of mushroom/chicken ($1.00-unfortunately not on sale)
dollop of sour cream ($.15)
parmesan (if desired) ($.10)

Directions
1. Brown hamburger in a stock pot. Drain, rinse and return to pot.
2. Add grated carrots, chopped onions, and chopped celery and let them sweat out until tender.
3. Add beef stock and bring to a boil.
4. Add rice (not cooked); 1 bay leaf, couple shakes of thyme, parsley, terragon, sage and salt and pepper, then turn down heat to simmer and let it cook until dinner time.
5. 10 min. before you eat, add the cream of mushroom/chicken, and the sour cream and parmesan. Give it just enough time to heat through, about 3-5 minutes.

Cost $4.45

Hint: You might have to occasionally add a little water here and there if it looks like it’s getting too thick.
Hint: This makes a TON of soup. We usually eat half, then I store the other half in the freezer for a day I don’t want to cook! Easy cheesy!

Enjoy this great one pot supper!!

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Kristie sent me this super easy and “throw together” recipe for Bachelor Stew.

• 1 lb ground beef (Kroger had it for 1.97/lb where I live)
• 1 can of Vegetable Soup
• 1 can of Ranch Style Beans ($.79)
• 1 box of Corn Bread ($.44)

1. Cook the meat in a large pot then drain. Dump in the soup and beans, mix together, and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. When I make the cornbread I throw in a bit of sugar when mixing to add a bit of sweetness.

Since the cans of vegetable soups that I checked out all had potatoes (which my oldest is allergic to!), I decided to forgo using the can and just add some frozen veggies in with some canned tomatoes to give the same flavor.  And I used some frozen pinto beans from a big batch instead, added a dash of salsa and we’ll call them Ranch Style Beans!

Here is my “mommy-fied” Bachelor Stew.

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef ($1.39) On sale this week!
1/2 small yellow onion ($.15)
1 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
Salt and pepper
1 celery stalk, chopped, about 1 cup ($.10)
1 cup frozen peas and carrots ($.33)
1 1/2 cup pinto beans ($.15)
8 green beans (the last from the garden) Substitute with 1 cup frozen green beans
1 can stewed tomatoes ($.66)
1 can tomato paste ($.19) Used coupon!
1 cup salsa ($.50)

Cornbread:
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal ($.50)
1/2 cup flour ($.10)
1 Tbsp baking powder ($.05)
2 Tbsp sugar ($.05)
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp canola oil ($.10)
2 eggs ($.20)
1 cup milk ($.10) Use rice milk to stay dairy-free!

Make a gluten free version of the cornbread for GF meal.

Butter ($.20)
Honey ($.30)

Directions
1. In large saucepan, brown ground beef with chopped onion, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Drain and rinse. Return to saucepan.
2. Add the remaining soup ingredients to the ground beef plus 2 cups of water. Stir together and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
3. While simmering, make the cornbread. Preheat oven to 400 and grease an 8×8-inch baking dish.
4. In mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, powder and salt. Whisk in the oil, eggs and milk until batter forms. Pour into greased baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 16-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean in the middle. Serve hot with butter and honey.
5. Serve Bachelor Stew with Cornbread.

Cost $5.12 with LOTS of leftovers!

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Ever had one of those moments when you open the fridge and look around…and decide to try a little experiment?

That’s what happened tonight.  I had an easy Friday night meal of Waffles on the menu plan, BUT with the freezer crisis and having “breakfast for dinner” on Wednesday night, I opted for a little experiment instead of going with the plan.

A little of this. A little of that. 

And Voila!

And the best part. This is a “one dish” dinner!  Here ya go…

Ingredients
1 medium spaghetti squash (about 2 lbs.) ($1.01) Found some on an unadvertised sale for $.49/lb!!!
2 broccoli heads ($.79)
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped ($.30) I used some of the baby carrots that I bought for $.67 this week!
1 red pepper (from a friend’s garden, and totally optional)
1-2 tsp olive oil ($.05)
2 cups shredded chicken, cooked ($1.50)
1 tsp Italian seasonings ($.05)
1 tsp garlic powder ($.05)
1/2 tsp salt and pepper, each

*Note: Serve this with some garlic French bread and still be under $5!  We had a late afternoon snack, so this was plenty for us tonight…on any other night I’d have served some bread!

**Note #2: Toss in 1 cup of spaghetti sauce to give this a little more flavor!

***Note #3: Use 2 boiled or baked chicken breasts in place of the 2 cups of shredded chicken.

****Note #4: OK, enough with the notes already!!!

Directions
1. Bake spaghetti squash in 9×13-inch glass baking dish, as you would bake a butternut squash. (Leave oven on…as you will bake this again for a few minutes after mixing it all together!)  This takes about an hour, so plan accordingly. You can poke holes in the squash and microwave it for about 15-20 minutes if you are in a time crunch, but I don’t think the “spaghetti” part turns out as well when cooked in the microwave. My opinion!
2. In the mean time, chop broccoli heads, carrots and red pepper. Place in microwavable dish with 1/4 cup of water and cover with plastic wrap. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Remove squash (carefully) from baking dish and rinse out the baking dish.

4. Add 1-2 tsp olive oil to the clean baking dish. Add steamed broccoli, carrots, red peppers, and shredded chicken. Toss around in the baking dish.

5. Scoop out spaghetti squash seeds and then use a fork to scrape out the “spaghetti” strands from the squash. Add to the baking dish and toss with the other ingredients.
6. Season with Italian seasonings, garlic powder, salt and pepper, to taste.  Return to oven and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. 
7. Serve Chicken and Spaghetti Squash Medley.

Cost $3.75

P.S. And I’m sharing 2 brand new recipes over on Everyday Cheapskate today…Gingered Butternut Squash Soup and Zesty Beef and Rice Casserole…be sure to check ‘em out!

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