Cheesy Veggie Chowder

 (Not a great picture because my people were IMPATIENTLY waiting to eat!)

I think I initially saw this recipe on MoneySavingMom from LuLuTheBaker. My people absolutely LOVE Broccoli Cheese soup, but I had never made it! When I saw that this recipe was so EASY, I figured I should give it a shot. Oh, we loved it! My only regret is that it doesn't make much. The second time I made it, I double the batch, so we had some for the freezer! I highly recommend it! It's very tasty, hearty and EASY. And ya'll know I love anything that will get veggies in my kid without a fight!

Here is my adapted recipe,

2 Tablespoons butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrot

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

4 cups chicken broth (I used bullion cubes and water for $ saving purposes.)

3 baking potatoes, peeled and diced

1 Tablespoon flour (I used a little more.)

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup milk

1 lb of broccoli

2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese

Melt the butter in a large soup pot.  Add onions, carrots, and saute over medium heat until tender.  Add garlic and cook 1 or 2 additional minutes.  Add chicken broth and potatoes, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are tender.  Mix flour with water, add, and simmer until soup is slightly thickened.  Add milk and broccoli and cook until broccoli is just tender and soup is heated through.  Stir in cheese, allow to melt, and serve.

 

Viola!

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Recipe

It should be illegal for something this easy (AND CHEAP!) to be THIS GOOD.

A lady I work with has a gift basket company. Before the Holidays, she tests a lot of new recipes out on the people in the office. These delicious little pretzels turned up last year, and I thought they were OUTSTANDING. Of course, she wouldn't tell me how to make them! I searched the internet and came up with NOTHING. Now, imagine my excitement when they turned up on Pinterest! Here is the recipe,

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels 

1 (16 oz) bag pretzel twists 

⅔ cup vegetable oil 

½ cup sugar (I used homemade vanilla sugar.)

2 tsp cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pour pretzels into a roasting pan. In a medium sized bowl mix together vegetable oil, cinnamon and sugar. Pour over pretzels and stir to coat. Place in oven on top rack and bake for 30 minutes, removing twice to stir.

I haven't been able to stop eating these since I made them! I am hoping to make a few more batches next weekend to take to our Christmas festivities. If you're looking for a last minute DIY Christmas gift, these would be great. You can easily make a lb of these for under $3 if you buy your pretzels on sale. If you're looking for a last minute idea for your teachers, friends or neighbors, try tying a cup of pretzels in cellophane and tie with a ribbon! You'll have all of your last minute gifts covered in a snap!

See other recipes at www.beautyandbedlam.com. 

Twas the week before Christmas...

I know I've been a little bit MIA on the grocery project, but believe me, we're still going strong! It's gotten a little tougher. I really think the quality and availability of grocery coupons has gotten a little more difficult. I did just pick up a SavingsStar card, and I also "inherited" a printer, so hopefully I can start to put that to good use! If only I can find time to actually SIT at the computer to get some work done! We're just SWAMPED here right now!

The above pictured was right around $35. The plan for the remaining money is to buy 2 gallons of milk from Aldi, several loafs of bread at the Oroweat outlet and a few bags of cheese from another local sale. I'll be honest when I say that our pantry is looking very sad. I truly do not have a lot to work with at the moment. We've been out of chicken and ground beef for WEEKS. As I was coming home yesterday, I realized that I don't really have anything special to cook for the week before Christmas. Next week's budget will cover the food that we need to share at our various festivities, but we'll be out of time for special cookie baking, projects, etc. It's a little bit of a bummer, but it is what it is. When you take a pay cut like we took in September, some things have to give. I guess special holiday baking is one of those things! Maybe I'll be able to figure something out with the things that I do already have. If not, we at least already did a little!

Here is our menu plan for the week before Christmas,

Saturday - cereal / garlic cheese bread with marinara / ham sandwiches and fruit

Sunday - 100% whole wheat cinnamon toast / cheesy vegetable chowder (a double batch for the freezer!) / stuffed shells

Monday - cereal / brown bag lunches / spin dip macaroni and cheese

Tuesday - cereal and fruit / brown bag lunches / egg in the hole

Wednesday - 100% whole wheat cinnamon toast / brown bag lunches /eggs, hash browns and bacon

Thursday - cereal / spaghetti with marinara and sauce / ham sandwiches and fruit

Friday -100% whole wheat cinnamon toast / possible inexpensive lunch out / dinner will be from a new round of groceries

For snacks, we'll be eating cinnamon sugar pretzels, crackers with cheese, pumpkin applesauce, graham crackers, veggies and fresh fruit.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

Last weekend, as part of our Advent Conspiracy celebration, I decided we would spend the afternoon baking for the girl's Sunday School teachers. I planned on making a pistachio cookie recipe that I had seen on Pinterest, but when I went to get started, I discovered it required a sugar cookie mix, which I didn't have! Instead, I adapted a recipe from allrecipes.com to use the ingredients that I DID have.

My family really liked these. (Yes, "liked." They are long gone!) They turned out very moist and flavorful, and the salt from the pistachios gave them that great salty/sweet factor! The best thing about this recipe is that you don't have to give a cookie mix any credit!

My adjusted recipe is as follows,

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped pistachios
• 1 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add pudding mix, eggs and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in pistachios and cranberries
3. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. 

50% off Domino's TOMORROW!

Don't worry about dinner tomorrow night! Dominoes will be hosting their first ever Global Pizza Party! You'll be able to place an order priced at half off through a special tab on Domino's facebook page!

I'm stoked! We've ordered their new pizzas a few times, and we've been really happy with the quality and price! Plus, the party is on Bible study night, and I could always use a little help with dinner before we run out the door!

Spin Dip Macaroni and Cheese

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine mentioned that she had made a spinach dip macaroni and cheese recipe that she found on Pinterest. I was seriously like, "Why haven't I thought of this????" I have the BEST spinach dip recipe EVER! Incidentally, she said her fiance didn't like the recipe all that much, so I decided just to adapt mine.  The recipe is as follows,

1 cup chopped artichokes (I omitted simply because I didn't have any.)
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed (I used fresh.)
8 OZ. cream cheese
3/4 cup chicken broth (approximate)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
dash pepper

In a small saucepan, boil artichokes and spinach in a cup of water for 10 minutes. Heat cream cheese for 1 minute in microwave or saucepan till hot. (While you are doing this, prepare your noodles as directed.) Then, stir all of the ingredients for the SAUCE together.Once your sauce is well incorporated and warm, stir in your hot noodles. If you wanted, you could definitely spread this in a pan, add some cheese and brown under the broiler! We were going for FAST on this night, so I didn't!

This recipe went over VERY well with my family. Everyone absolutely loved it. My daughter even ate it cold in her lunch one day. SO good!

Free Stocking Stuffers!

 

It's Dec 1! Are you feeling the pinch yet? Coming up on the expense list this week, we have recital costume dues (for 2 costumes this year!), an oil change, and we need diapers! *phew*

Would some free stocking stuffers help?

My favorite free stocking stuffer idea at the moment are the McDonald's coupons through RecycleBank for just 100 points. You can easily earn a free ice cream cone or smoothie in five minutes. Here is how,

Join Recyclebank (if you haven't already!)
Once you're logged in, click on "Earn Points" (I recommend completing the Green Your Seasons and the Ziploc offer as these will quickly give you 100 points.)
Next, click on "Get Rewards" and go to "Restaurant Offers"
From there, you can use 100 points to order a coupon for a free oatmeal, a free ice cream cone or a free smoothie!

So easy! We've ordered these many times and have had no problems with mailing or redemption! These are so perfect for the kid or college student in your life!