Frugal Tip: Make Brownie Bites at Home

My family loves brownie bites! For some reason I enjoy these so much more than brownies made in a 9 x 13 pan. I was first introduced to them years ago when purchasing a container of them in the bakery department of my local grocery store. The container contained only sixteen brownie bites and was priced at $4.49. A little high for something I could eat by myself in one sitting. lol :)

I'm much more frugal now and simply refuse to pay such a steep price. So, I've been making my own brownie bites at home. All you need is a mini muffin pan and box of brownie mix. Prepare the brownie mix as directed on the package and fill each muffin cup up with batter. I find it is best to grease the muffin cups to avoid the brownies sticking to the pan.

I am able to get approximately 30 brownie bites from one box. I've been using up the brownie mixes that I purchased HERE for .50 cents. For my investment of .50 cents, I am able to get twice as many brownie bites for a fraction of the cost.

This post is being linked to Thrifty Thursday at Coupon Teacher.

Popcorn Ball Recipe

Another homemade gift I'm making this year is popcorn balls. They are sure to be a hit with all of the children! I'm planning to pass these out to all of my son's preschool classmates on the last of day of school before Christmas break.

Crockpot Broccoli Cheese Soup

This rainy weather makes me want to eat soup! I made Broccoli Cheese Soup a few days ago and thought I'd share this simple recipe with you. I love serving this soup with bread sticks and salad.

Ingredients:

2 boxes of frozen chopped broccoli, thawed

1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cubed

10 3/4 can cream of celery soup

14 1/2 oz. can chicken broth

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Stir periodically.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

Fall has arrived in this part of the country and the leaves are beginning to change. I decided to make some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins for my husband to take to his weekly card game this evening. A few of them were also set aside to enjoy for breakfast tomorrow morning. You can find the recipe for the muffins HERE. The recipe makes thirty muffins.

Fresh Tomato & Black Bean Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:

3-4 medium sized fresh tomatoes, stems removed, finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeño pepper (stems, ribs, seeds removed), finely diced
Juice of one lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (approximate)

1/2 can of black beans (drained)
Salt and pepper to taste

I used my mini food chopper to dice all ingredients-except for the black beans. Then, I combined everything in a bowl and stirred in 1/2 can of drained black beans. I'm planning to use this salsa (instead of salad dressing) in the salads I'm packing for my husband's lunch for this week.

Orange Dreamsicle Cake Recipe

Orange Dreamsicle Cake is a delicious summer dessert that is sure to be enjoyed by everyone in your family. Sorry I forgot to upload the photo before leaving for vacation!

Ingredients:

1 box white cake mix

1 small box of orange Jello

1 cup boiling water

1 small box of instant vanilla pudding

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange extract

1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip

Directions:

Be sure to set out the Cool Whip to thaw before beginning. Prepare cake mix as directed on box for 9x13 pan. Once the cake is finished baking, remove it from the oven. Poke holes throughout the cake with a fork. Mix orange jello with 1 cup of boiling water and pour over the cake. Place cake in refrigerator to cool for approximately 30 minutes. Mix together (with hand mixer or otherwise) instant vanilla pudding and 1 cup of milk. Stir in orange and vanilla extracts. Fold in Cool Whip and spread over cake and chill for one hour before serving. Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread Recipe

My neighbors were kind enough to give me two large zucchini last night. I'll be putting them to good use making zucchini bread later this week. The recipe I use was given to me by a very dear friend (Thanks, Nancy) and makes two loaves.

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups peeled, grated zucchini
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup raisins
1 cup nuts (optional--I leave them out)

Directions:

Put all ingredients together and mix well. Divide into 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.

Making Homemade Juice

I'm the proud new owner of a juicer! I've been wanting a juicer for quite some time, but have never been able to justify the expense to myself. And to be honest, I wasn't sure how much I'd really use it. All summer long, I've searched yard sales and Craigs List hoping to find one for a reasonable price. We even went to Bed, Bath & Beyond on Sunday to price them. My husband encouraged me to purchase one. I declined because they were even more expensive than I expected. Last night, I finally found a listing on Craigs List for a Krups Juicer. So, I immediately contacted the seller and she confirmed it was still available. I am proud to say that I paid just $10.00 for this almost new juicer. Good things come to those who are patient!

My son and I tried it out this afternoon and made orange juice and apple juice. Nothing beats the taste of fresh squeezed juice! I also love the fact that the juice doesn't contain any added sugar or preservatives. Fresh squeezed juice is not less expensive--unless you have a fruit tree in your back yard or know someone who does. Sometimes quality is more important to me.

Does anyone else make their own juice? If so, I'd love for you to share some of your recipes.

Meatloaf Recipe

I've posted a meatloaf recipe on my other blog HERE. Go check it out if you're interested. It's very simple and delicious!

Berry picking we go...

This morning, we headed to Orr's and picked red raspberries and blackberries. Aiden had so much fun picking berries and going for a hay ride. What a fun morning for all of us! I'm getting ready to clean the berries and freeze them. The frozen berries are perfect to use in smoothies or as a topping for vanilla ice cream. I am also planning to make the raspberry sauce recipe HERE.
Does anyone have any recipes they'd like to share using raspberries or blackberries? If so, please share. :)

Homemade Pizza

Aiden and I had a great time making homemade pizza for dinner this evening. We made him an individual pizza and also a larger one for my husband and I to share. I used a dough recipe that I found online today and it turned out better than expected. I need to get the hang of rolling out the crust a little thinner. Does anyone have a dough recipe they'd recommend? If so, please share!

Freezing Cookie Dough

This morning, I made some homemade sugar cookies. I decided to double the batch and make extra dough to use in the future. I placed wax paper on a cookie sheet and scooped out the dough into balls. Then, I placed the tray into the freezer and to let the dough harden.



After the dough was frozen, I placed the individual balls into a Ziplock vacuum bag and removed the air. The next time I bake cookies, I'll be able to have them ready in minutes! This is my first time freezing the dough and was surprised at how easy it was. Has anyone else ever done this?

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie Recipe

My hubby plays in a golf league on Tuesday evenings and does not join us for dinner. It's quite hot here today so I thought it would be fun to have Strawberry-Banana Smoothies after dinner this evening.

I combined the following ingredients in the blender: 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream, 1/2 cup of 2% milk, 1/2 fresh banana and 3 frozen strawberries. I also topped mine with whipped topping, but Aiden opted out of that addition.

Aiden loved his smoothie!

Mission blueberry has been accomplished!

All of the blueberries have been cleaned and vacuum packed for freezing. I gave one pint away to a dear friend whose daughter loves blueberries. I also saved one pint to make homemade blueberry muffins for breakfast tomorrow morning. Can't wait to eat warm blueberry muffins!

Chocolate Strawberry Torte Recipe

Chocolate Strawberry Torte is one of my favorite desserts. It's not too sweet and the combination of chocolate and strawberry is delicious! I found this recipe in a Taste of Home magazine about eight years ago and have been making it ever since. The recipe calls for a homemade chocolate crust. Prior to being a mother, I always made the homemade crust. I will admit that it's better that way, but I didn't have time yesterday when making this recipe for Mother's Day.

Ingredients:

12 oz. of Cool Whip (1.5 containers)
8 oz. of sour cream
1 small package of instant chocolate pudding
1 package of strawberries (sliced)
1 chocolate pie crust

Combine Cool Whip, sour cream and instant chocolate pudding.

Mix for a few minutes until all ingredients are combined and fluffy. I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer and let it do all of the work for me. :)

Line bottom of pie crust with sliced strawberries. Add mixture on top of the strawberries and smooth it out. Garnish with strawberries and grated chocolate. Refrigerate until serving.

My little taste tester enjoyed licking the spoon. :)

I am linking this post to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Pasta Salad Recipe

Once the weather starts warming up, we eat Pasta Salad almost every week. I came up with this simple recipe many years ago and have been making it ever since. I love making a large bowl and having it for lunch or as a side dish with dinner. I'm also known to eat it for breakfast. :) It's also great to take to a picnic or barbecue. The best thing about making this pasta salad: it only takes about fifteen minutes from start to finish. It is also inexpensive to make if you purchase the ingredients when on sale or free.

Ingredients:

1 bag or box of noodles
Kraft Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
Fresh Veggies of your choice

Directions:

Cook noodles as directed on package. I used a package of Wacky Mac noodles because they were free after coupon at my local grocery store.

While the noodles are cooking, cut up fresh veggies. Today, I used tomatoes, cucumber and green pepper. I've also used the following ingredients in the past: fresh broccoli, onion, squash, and zucchini. You could also add pepperoni to spice it up a bit.

Drain the noodles.

Combine noodles, veggies and zesty italian dressing. I use about 8 ozs. (half of the bottle pictured below) of salad dressing. You may want to add more--depending on how many vegetables and noodles you use. For best results, I refrigerate it for the day or overnight so the flavor is absorbed into the vegetables and noodles.I made this entire bowl of pasta salad for approximately $2.51. Here is a breakdown of the cost:

Wacky Mac Noodles: FREE after coupon

Kraft Salad Dressing: .05 cents (half of a 16 oz. bottle discussed HERE)

1 cucumber: .99 cents

1 tomato: .72 cents

1/2 green pepper: .75 cents

I'm linking this post to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlem.

Taco Dip Recipe

I just finished making Taco Dip for a party I'm attending this evening and decided to share the recipe with my readers.

Ingredients:

2 bars of Cream Cheese

1 jar (16 ozs.) of Mild Taco Sauce

Tomato

Shredded Lettuce

Shredded Cheese

Tortilla Chips

Set cream cheese out on the counter top to soften. Combine both bars of cream cheese and the jar of taco sauce in bowl. Mix until ingredients are fluffy (see photo below). It only takes a few minutes in my Kitchen-Aid mixer.


Spread the mixture into a 9 x 13 dish.

Top with shredded lettuce, mild cheddar cheese and tomatoes. Refrigerate until time to serve. In the past, I've also added green peppers, onions and other toppings depending on where I'm taking the dish. My family prefers it with just lettuce, tomato and cheese. Also, to spice it up a bit you can use medium or hot taco sauce. I've been making this recipe for years and I almost always bring the dish home empty. Enjoy! :)

I'm linking this post to Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlem.

Banana Bread Muffins

We ate the last batch of muffins from our freezer last week. I went to work this afternoon and made a batch of homemade banana bread muffins. I use a banana bread recipe and pore the mixture into muffin cups. Half of the muffins will be eaten for snacks & breakfast this week and the other half are in the freezer for future use. I package the muffins two per package and thaw them out as needed. These muffins are moist and taste delicious--even when thawed from the freezer.

Here is the recipe for anyone who is interested:

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter or margarine

1 cup sugar (can easily be reduced to 3/4 cup)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix melted butter into the mashed bananas. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over mixture and stir. Add the flour and continue mixing. Pour mixture into muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until done. Cool on a rack.