Father's Day Dinner

My family has another obligation tomorrow, which is Father's Day, and I wanted to do something special for my Dad, so I went ahead and made him his favorite dinner today for Father's Day. He loves homemade meatloaf, so I made a couple of those and gave him one and made mashed potatoes and homemade macaroni and cheese to go a long with it. Sorry, I didn't think to get a picture of the macaroni and cheese.  I also had a DVD set of the Dukes of Hazard, which we used to watch when I was growing up, so I gave that to him as well. He was happy with everything and sent me a text which said, "It was mighty good, thanks". He also requested a piece of the Peanut Butter Bars, which I made earlier in the week. I had one piece left, so it was perfect. :)

What are you doing for Father's Day this year?

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012. 

 “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without” 

What's for Dinner Thursday

 Tonight for dinner I am trying a new recipe for Twice Baked Cheeseburger Potatoes. The recipe sounded good to me, and easy to make, so I'm trying it. 

I've also made Shoepeg Salsa (a tried and true family favorite), which is a refreshing summer type salad. I had about 7 cans of black eyed peas, which this recipe calls for, in the pantry, so I figured it was a good time to make it. I didn't have shoepeg corn, so I substituted regular corn.

Twice Baked Cheeseburger Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 large Russet potatoes
3 tablespoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 pound ground beef or turkey
1 1/4 shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Wash potatoes, drizzle with olive oil, roll in Kosher salt. Pierce several times with a fork and bake at 400 for 60-75 minutes, until you can stick a knife through them easily.
In the meantime, cook the ground beef. Mix with sour cream, onion powder, salt and 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
When the potatoes are done, cut them in half and scoop out the insides, leaving enough around the edges so that they hold their shape. Mix the potato with the rest of the filling and then scoop it back into the potato shells.
Sprinkle them with more cheddar cheese and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Shoepeg Salsa

In a bowl combine:

2 cans (16 ounces each) black-eyed peas, drained
1 can (11 ounces) white shoepeg corn, drained
1 green pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies
3 or 4 green onions, chopped

Dressing:
Combine:
5 Tablespoons oil (I used EVOO – you can add a mixture)
¼ cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon Vegesal (or salt, garlic powder, and paprika)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon parsley flakes

You can add more seasoning according to your taste.
Serve with Tortilla Chips

What's for dinner at your house tonight?

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without” 

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Here is an easy to make dessert that won't heat up your kitchen in the summertime. I made a batch of these today since I had everything on hand. For the graham cracker crumbs, I used the Great Value brand of graham crackers and simply made crumbs out of them using my food processor, which is less expensive than buying graham cracker crumbs. 

Here is the recipe:

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients
1 cup butter melted
2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 cups powdered sugar 

 1 cup plus 4 tablespoons peanut butter
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Directions
In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. 

Press evenly into the bottom of an 9×13 inch pan. 

In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the 4 tablespoons of peanut butter. 

Spread over the peanut butter/graham cracker mixture. 

Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Here is what the finished product looks like:

These are a big hit with my family. I hope you enjoy them as well! :)

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without” 

Master Grocery List

Sometimes people find managing the kitchen and meal planning to be a big challenge. Coming home after a long day of work and going in the kitchen to prepare the family dinner is not something people always have the time or energy to accomplish. Because of this many people have come to depend on fast food, restaurants, and convenience foods to deal with this challenge in order to feed their families. Foods like rotisserie chickens and inexpensive $5 pizzas help to make meal times easier, but oftentimes those convenience foods cost more money than food prepared at home. Families who rely on these foods too often can often find themselves with financial problems as a result of eating out too often.

Using resources wisely (time, money, food) is one area of my life that is important to me. Keeping a well-stocked pantry and meal planning are important tools towards this goal. Having meals planned out has always made my life so much easier during the times I’ve utilized this tool. Now, I do have days where I forget to take something out of the freezer or times when it seems like I am only able to plan meals on the spur of the moment. But the times when I have been organized in my meal planning have been the times when I felt the most at peace with myself, which in turn makes my household run smoother.

We already know that tools like the Pantry Principal and Meal Planning are useful tools in the kitchen. Another useful tool in the kitchen is the Master Grocery List, or as some people call it, pantry staples, specifically geared towards your family because having a well-stocked pantry is helpful for good kitchen management. It is difficult to create a list of pantry staples that would be beneficial for every family simply because we are all different. We live in different areas and have access to different resources, we have different dietary needs and honestly, we have different tastes. What things I like to eat may not be the same things that you like to eat. Therefore, it is important to create a Master Grocery List or Pantry Staples list that is unique to your family and the resources available to you in your area.

Having said all of that, I would like to share my Master Grocery List with you. Please keep in mind this list is specifically geared towards my family and therefore reflect choices that I make that I find beneficial to my family.

Master Grocery List

Beverages
Milk
Tea Bags
Kool-Aid

Breads
Whole Wheat Bread
Tortillas
Hot Dog Buns
Hamburger Buns
French Bread

Canned Beans
Chili Beans
Kidney Beans
Pork and Beans
Refried Beans

Canned Foods
Beef & Chicken Broth
Salmon
Corn
Enchilada Sauce
Green Beans
Green Peas
Hormel Ham
Pineapple
Petite Dice Tomatoes
Chili

Condiments
Tartar Sauce
Soy Sauce
Parmesan Cheese
Worcestershire Sauce
Ketchup
Dill Pickle
Bread & Butter Pickles
Salt
Pepper

Jarred Foods
Mayonnaise
Peanut Butter
Spaghetti Sauce
Strawberry Jelly
Salsa

Dairy
American Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Sour Cream
Skim Milk
Buttermilk
Eggs

Dry Goods
Cornmeal
Flour
Sugar
Brown Sugar
Rice, Brown & White
Soup Beans
Pinto Beans
Elbow Macaroni
Lasagna Noodles
Instant Mashed Potatoes
Saltine Crackers

Frozen Foods
Broccoli
Carrots
Cauliflower Blend
Veggie Burgers
Pie Crusts
Tator Tots

Meat
Chicken Breast
Ground Chuck
Hot Dogs
Italian Sausage
Pork Sausage
Round Streak
Sirloin Tip Roast
Rump Roast
Smoked Sausage

Oils
EVOO – Olive Oil
Vegetable Oil
Pam Spray

Produce
Onions
Celery
Carrots
Potatoes
Cabbage
Lettuce
Apples
Bananas

Snack Foods
Tortilla Chips (Used in Cooking)
Corn Chips
Popcorn
Pretzels

Spices
Beef Bouillon
Chili Powder
Cumin
Dill
Garlic Powder
Italian Season
Onion Powder
Onion Soup Mix
Seasoned salt

 

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without” 

Free Frugal Cookbook

Hello Frugal Workshop readers! 

I couldn't let this good deal pass by without letting you know about it. Amazon is offering a free frugal cookbook today for Kindle e-readers, but you don't even need a Kindle to read the book as you can read it right in Amazon's Cloud Reader. 

Here is a link to the book:

Joyful Momma's Guide to Shopping & Cooking Frugally

Hope you enjoy it! :)

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”