I'm often asked during news interviews and radio interviews..."Is this really possible to do this $5 Dinners thing?" And my typical reply is... "Of course, a key part of this whole frugal cooking business is being creative with the ingredients that you get on sale, or even discounted, from the grocery store. If you score a fabulous deal on butternut squash and you don't know … [Read more...]
What to Make When…Ground Beef
It's time for another version of "what to make when." Every several weeks ground beef, ground chuck and ground round will go on sale, ranging from $1.49/lb to $2.99/lb...depending on the type. I prefer ground chuck and stock up when it's on sale for $1.99/lb, but will also pick up ground beef when it hits the $1.49/lb sale mark. Ground round doesn't usually go on sale for … [Read more...]
Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken
This was one of those meals that sorta came together and ended up "balancing" perfectly. I started out with chicken and pineapple in the slow cooker. Then as dinnertime drew closer, I decided that rice would be a nice complement, and found a side of the red cabbage apple slaw in the fridge! (How to Shred Cabbage here.) Voila! Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken Pineapple … [Read more...]
Spiced Pear Sour Cream Bundt Cake
I don’t know about you, but when I get to the end of a big feast, the last thing I want to show up on my dessert plate is a super rich concoction that’s going to send my stomach into cardiac arrest. Or rather gastronomic arrest. I want light. I want tasty. I want fluffy. I want this Spiced Pear Sour Cream Bundt Cake. Because it is all those things. I want … [Read more...]
ANNOUNCING! One Dish Dinners – The New Sister Site to $5 Dinners
Okey-dokey my dearest friends! It's time I introduce you to $5 Dinners' New Little Sister! One Dish Dinners I have been working for the past weeks/months with the marvelous duo at Kohler Created getting ready for this day. And no, we don't have some elaborate April Fool's Joke to play one you, but we do have this exciting new website to share with you! A giant thanks to … [Read more...]
Fluffy Coconut Cake with Toasted Coconut Frosting
This year, I've decided to expand my baking methods repertoire by trying recipes that use batter making processes that I have not used before. And I'm documenting it all in my "dessert of the month" series. January - Gingered Pear and Blueberry Cobbler February - Angel Food Cake with Lime and Pistachios And now this cake for March! Now, before we proceed I … [Read more...]
Spicy Chorizo and Lentil Soup
Splurge Alert! Over the summer I'd stop at the local traveling farmer's market in my town. It comes through every Thursday through the summer, and I look for the sign every week (as I can't remember when it starts back up. May, likely?!) on Thursdays when I take Charlie to school. There are many days when I just which we had more grocery budget money to spend on the … [Read more...]
Spicy Cilantro Pesto
So last week I found myself wondering what to do with the giant bunch of cilantro that I bought at Jungle Jim's for just $.60. I used some of a dinner I made last weekend. But didn't want the rest to go to waste. I knew immediately that I wanted to make a pesto, and a spicy one...as I had about 30 jalapenos staring at my from the middle shelf of the fridge! This … [Read more...]
Mini Barbeque Chicken Pizzas – Copycat California Pizza Kitchen
Quick story. When Steve and I lived in the Dominican Republic, we had the choice to fly back to the US for vacations or family get togethers via Miami or New York. Those were are only 2 options. Santiago to JFK or Santiago to Miami. (Except once we flew through Puerto Rico, and then onto Chicago. I was pregnant with Ryan and I was terrified the entire time we were on the … [Read more...]
Lime Cake
Any cake with more than two layers is a special celebratory cake in my cookbook. A spring green cake even more so. At the first sign of brilliant blue skies, I start to think of making my Aunt Kathy’s Lime Cake. Will it be for Easter, Mother’s Day, a birthday or a bridesmaids luncheon? All of the above. The inside of the cake gets its spring green … [Read more...]