Last night I tried a great soup from Family Fun Magazine.  It was a great lasagna soup.  It took about an hour from start to finish but it was souper easy! No pun intended.  Both Turkey Butt and Little Man loved it.  Turkey Butt’s job was putting the cheese mixture on the bottom of the bowl and then putting the mozzarella on top.  She loved it.  I had never chopped herbs before.  I had alwasy used dried herbs but I have a fantastic small processor and use it for everything.  It made quick work of both the onions and the basil.  Hope you enjoy it.

I jsut went and bought the ingredients for my rice casserole this morning.  When I totalled it up, I spent less around $2.70 for all the ingredients for my rice casserole, which will easily feed a family of 6.  I thought I would share it with you in case you are tight on funds this year and need an idea or two to save money and yet eat well.

• 1 can Beef Consume - $.99
• 1 can French Onion - $.99
• 1/2 cup butter - $.40 (the original recipe called for 1 stick of butter but I try to cut it in half)
• 1 cup rice - $.30
• 1jar/can mushrooms ( I have to leave this out since my wonderful husband thinks they taste like dirt.  I married him anyway:)

Here is the hard part … Dump it all in a bowl and bake it at 350 degrees for an hour.

Hope you like it.  It is a family tradition at our house.  I also hope you enjoy your family this Thanksgiving.  Our family will be missing a very important  member this year and I hope only to cry a few times.

Happy Thanksgiving from Karen and I.  We are so very thankful for all of you.

If you’re looking to go light this Thanksgiving, or even if you want to justify that extra piece of pecan pie, then try these recipes courtesy of Cooking Light.

Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese, Bacon, and Balsamic-Fig Dressing

Roast Turkey with Onion and Cranberry Chutney

Wild Rice Pilaf with Sausage, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Celery

Brussels Sprouts with Currants and Pine Nuts

Gratin of Cauliflower with Gruyère

Bakery Dinner Rolls

Pear Pie with Streusel Topping and Caramel Sauce

photo by Becky Luigart-Stayner, courtesy of Cooking Light

I love cruising around recipes.  Yesterday, I found a great Baked Chicken Amandine recipe.  It was super easy and cheap.  The almonds were probably the most expensive thing.  Check back tomorrow to find a few quick tips on chicken.  BTW, even my 15 month old Little Man asks for seconds.  I just have to make sure he gets no almonds as he still doesn’t have but 2 teeth.

I had told you a while back that by making out a menu for the week and sticking to it, you can save a lot of money.  Tonight we had Mexican Shrimp Bisque and it was wonderful.  But I will say that there are a few adjustments that I would recommend for a family of 4.

1. You don’t even need the shrimp to make it great!  Shrimp was on sale last week so we had it in the freezer.
2. You will have to double the recipe as it barely makes enough for 6 normal size bowls and chances are, someone is going to want seconds.
3. Decrease the amount of chili powder to 1 tsp for a regular batch and double it if you are going to double the recipe
4. I haven’t needed the cilantro but the avocado is the perfect texture and taste.  Avocados were on sale this week as well.

I hope you enjoy a great meal.  The soup would easily cost you $7 a bowl at a restaurant but you can make it for a fraction of the cost.  Now that is thrifty living!

I love deviled eggs.  I also love variations.  So when I came across this recipe, i tried it and loved it!  Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients needed:

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 4 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons finely shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon mustard
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• paprika to sprinkle

Directions:

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water.
2. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat.
3. Cover, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes.
4. Remove from hot water, and cool.
5. To cool more quickly, rinse eggs under cold running water.
6. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet.
7. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown.
8. Alternatively, wrap bacon in paper towels and cook in the microwave for about 1 minute per slice.
9. Crumble and set aside.
10. Peel the hard-cooked eggs, and cut in half lengthwise.
11. Remove yolks to a small bowl.
12. Mash egg yolks with mayonnaise, crumbled bacon, cheese, and pepper.
13. Stir in mustard.
14. Fill egg white halves with the yolk mixture and refrigerate until serving.
15. Sprinkle with paprika to decoration.

Tip: Put your yolk mixture in a sandwich bag and work the mixture into a corner.  Cut a tiny piece off the corner ad use the bag as a dispenser to make your eggs look beautiful.

This month’s Lifestyles’ Carnival theme is picnics. I thought I would share with you my pasta salad recipe. Personally, I don’t like the taste of the boxed pasta salad mixes and this one is always well received.

You’ll need:
1 box of garden rotini noodles
1 bottle zesty Italian salad dressing
1 small can of sliced olives, drained
handful of fresh chopped mushrooms
2-3 diced roma tomatoes*
1 cucumber - peeled and chopped
chopped deli ham (optional)
shredded cheese

Fill a large pot with water and bring water to a boil. Add box of noodles. Boil about 10 minutes, until noodles become tender. Drain and allow to cool. In a large bowl, add all of the vegetables and ham and mix in salad dressing to desired taste. Cover and refrigerate. Before serving, mix in desired amount of cheese. You may need to add a little more salad dressing as well.

*I prefer to use Roma tomatoes because they don’t have as much water as other tomatoes.

Enjoy!  Let me know how it turns out.

free clip art image

I think when most people think of the slow cooker and the things that we cook in it, they think winter.  I know that was my first thought before I learned that the slow cooker can be my best friend.  I have learned that you can cook almost anything in your slow cooker and it really saves lots of time.  On those busy summer days when you want to be at the pool but you feel like you need to cook instead, pull out your slow cooker.  Several of my friends say that this way of cooking is not for them but I have some tried and true recipes for the slow cooker. 

Roasted Chicken
1 whole chicken (approx. 3-5 pounds)
Salt and pepper (or any seasoning of your choice)
Wash chicken inside and out (remove anything inside).  Sprinkle with seasoning.  Place three balls of aluminum foil in the bottom of your slow cooker (this will be a rack for your chicken).  Place the chicken in, breast side down, and cook on low for six to eight hours. (This recipe is from Amy at www.momadvice.com)

Italian Beef
1 chuck or round roast (5-6 pounds)
1 package of Good Season’s Zesty Italian Mix
1 package of onion soup mix
Fresh garlic (we like a lot but you can use as much or as little as you like)
1 large can of beef broth
2 bay leaves
Pinch of salt
1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 green pepper sliced

Mix all ingredients together in crock pot.  Cover and cook on low setting for 18 hours or on high for 7-9 hours. 

Macaroni and Cheese
8 oz. dry elbow macaroni (cooked)
3-4 cups shredded sharp cheddar, divided
12 oz. can of evaporated milk
1 ½ cups milk
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
Chopped onion to taste

Combine all ingredients except 1 cup cheese in greased slow cooker.  Sprinkle reserve cup of cheese over top
Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours.  Do not remove lid or stir until the mixture has finished cooking.

These recipes are just a few to get you started.  There are endless resources for slow cooker recipes on the internet.  An interesting blog you might want to visit is Crockpot 365.  Stephanie has committed to cooking in her crock pot everyday for year.  You should go check it out because she has made some awesome meals in her slow cooker.

Tami is a former teacher. She is now a stay-at-home mom and has four children. She enjoys writing about their everyday life and the adventures that motherhood brings. You can find her at Muddlin’ Thru Motherhood.

Each hour today, we are blogging for charity.  Please consider making a donation to The Children’s Hunger Fund. 

I’ve made this cheese spread a few times.  It goes well with crackers and is so simple to make. 

You’ll need:

8 oz cream cheese (at room temperature or softened)
2-4 tablespoons Catalina dressing

Simply mix the cream cheese and the Catalina dressing until the dressing is completely mixed into the cream cheese.  The amount of dressing you use will depend upon how tangy you like the cheese spread. 

I’ve served this at two parties and it was well received.  Thanks to my friend Darlene for the recipe.

Enjoy!

WE at Thrifty Mommy have showed you several ways to save money with coupons and working store sales.  Karen is really good at it.  The last time I went to the store, I had $8 in baby food coupons and saved $12 off my baby food trip by just shopping the store sales at my local Food Lion.  I also saved 25% total off my bill with no coupons, just by shopping what they had on sale.  If it wasn’t on sale, I didn’t buy it.  Imagine if I had my coupons with me.

So when I  came across this list of frugal recipes and foods from about.com, I was like a kid in a candy store.  I will be making my own Italian seasoning and chili powder from now on.  I use a lot of both.

See you soon.