Have you ever had Mexican Cocoa? It is a delightful combination of dark chocolate and cinnamon with just a tiny bite to it from cayenne pepper. If you haven't had it, you must try it when you have a chance. In the mean time you can enjoy this spicy cinnamon chocolate fudge recipe which has all the flavors of Mexican Hot Chocolate. This fudge is made with dark chocolate, … [Read more...]
Alea’s Easy Homemade Stuffing
Start saving your dried out bread, the odd leftover hot dog bun, that one extra roll from dinner, and the ends of the bread that your kids refuse to eat. All of those odd pieces of bread that might normally go to waste can be turned into a delicious stuffing for your Thanksgiving dinner. Just freeze them for now and then the day before Thanksgiving pull them out and use them to … [Read more...]
Alea’s White Chili Stuffed Potatoes
It's Chili Season! Well, in the southwest, it is always chili season. While I love all the different types of chili, my absolute favorite variety is white chili. If you haven't had white chili, it is made with white beans, chicken, corn and, of course, lots of chili peppers. You can play around with the ingredients and experiment with using different chili peppers. It is a … [Read more...]
Alea’s Pumpkin Pasta Casserole
This quick and easy recipe for Pumpkin Pasta Casserole is perfect for chilly, fall evenings. If you are a gardener, you may only have to buy 2 ingredients to make this recipe: pasta and cheese. If you aren't a gardener, it is still frugal as most of the produce is on sale right now. You can't taste the pumpkin in the casserole. It adds a natural sweetness, nutrients, … [Read more...]
Alea’s Broiled Ribs with Homemade Barbecue Sauce
I scored a great deal on boneless pork ribs and made plans to grill them. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate with my plans.. Fall arrived last weekend at our house and brought high winds and rain with it, so my plans for barbecue ribs was shifted from the grill to my oven where I broiled them. Broiling ribs is actually quite easy. My very old oven did not come … [Read more...]
Alea’s Apple, Cranberry, and Chicken Wraps
The mornings are getting cooler. It's almost beginning to feel like fall. And with cooler weather comes the cool weather crops. Apples, cranberries, and cabbage will be on sale soon in your grocery stores. I have already noticed that the prices on apples are dropping at the same time the quality is improving. That's the beauty of eating in-season produce - you pay lower prices … [Read more...]
Alea’s Vegetarian Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini
There is something so satisfying about creating a frugal recipe that the whole family loves. Especially when that recipes helps you make a dent in the zucchini harvest! This recipe makes use of several vegetables from the garden: zucchinis, tomatoes, corn, onions, and peppers. All of the garden veggies make it an especially frugal dish. However, if you didn't garden this … [Read more...]
Alea’s Yellow Squash Pizza Boats
It is that time of year. The time of year where every gardener has to dig deep and get creative or else let bushels of squash go to waste. The kids are wise to my squash-hiding tricks, so I had to pull out my secret weapon: Pizza! It may seem a little underhanded, but kids have a hard time resisting pizza and I used that to my advantage when I created these yellow squash … [Read more...]
Alea’s Easy Homemade Chocolate Syrup
Sunday was National Ice-Cream Day and we decided to celebrate with homemade ice-cream sundaes at home. Unfortunately, I forgot to check on our sundae supplies before I made the announcement. I thought I had a jar of my homemade hot fudge sauce in the fridge. When I pulled out the empty jar my husband and kids confessed to sneaking spoonfuls of it. When I went to the pantry to … [Read more...]
Alea’s Slow Cooker Pot Roast
We have been alternating between high temperatures and flash floods. Every time it rains, I want comfort foods like pot roast and potatoes. But it is so hot that I don't want to turn on the oven. My slow cooker once again came to my rescue! I love that is allows me to cook family favorites without heating up the house. When I make my pot roast, I put the vegetables … [Read more...]