Blending apricots into a traditional cranberry sauce gives this dish a whole new fresh taste. It is an  easy-to-make side dish to consider adding to your Thanksgiving dinner menu if you want to 'stir' up the flavors a little this year.

Cranberry Apricot Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

12 ounces cranberries

1 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup apricot preserves

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a pot and add 1 cup water. Cover. Bring to boil while stirring often. Turn down heat and simmer about 10-15 minutes. Keep stirring frequently as the sauce cooks. When the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and let cool. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Have you ever found yourself in the kitchen ready to bake a special treat for your family only to find that one needed ingredient - that brown sugar sitting in your pantry - is now hard as a rock?  I came across this quick way to save that old brown sugar while browsing through some old magazines of mine - sounds simple enough, so before you toss that rock hard sugar away, try this tip:

Put the sugar in a microwave-safe bowl and place the bowl in your microwave. Put a cup of water next to the bowl. Microwave both on high in 30 second intervals until the sugar is softened.

Apparently it is the steam created by the hot water that does the trick!

I came across some fun cooking tips on the back of an old calendar I found stashed away in kitchen cupboard  (for what, I don't know...) that by themselves may not save you bundles of money, but are fun to try out nevertheless.

1. When making fresh squeezed lemonade, try dropping the lemons in hot water for a few seconds before squeezing. By doing this, you should be able to get twice the juice out of each lemon you squeeze.

2. If you only need half an onion for a recipe, save the half with the root - it is said to last longer.

3. More than once I have opened a carton of eggs in my refrigerator only to find a cracked one, which annoys me immensely. I found this tip which says by rubbing salt generously over the egg, you will still be able to boil it! ( anyone try this before, and if so, did it work?)

Stretch your grocery budget with help from KitchenPC.com. This free website - still in beta mode - helps you find recipes based on the ingredients you have in your kitchen at any given time.

Click on the 'Meal Planner' tab, and enter each food item you have on hand, one at a time. After you have entered all the ingredients, recipe suggestions are instantly displayed. So you just might discover a fabulously delicious dinner idea for your family tonight without having to spend another dollar at the grocery store.

But I have to admit that even though it is so helpful to get a recipe instantly using the remnants of my kitchen cupboards, what is really fun about this website is the option to have recipes read out loud to you! Yep, step by step instructions are read aloud as you cook! You will need to download the free browser extension, Firesay, to enable this option. But once you get it set up, it is so much fun to use! (You can read more about Firesay Here.)

Want more free features you say?? Here are a couple more: you can also add your own favorite recipes to the site, create recipe-generated printable shopping lists, and create your own monthly meal planning and shopping calendars.

Definitely worth a look-see! Check it out at www.KitchenPC.com.

April is National Grilled Cheese Month (who knew?) so I thought I would share an easy, inexpensive grilled cheese recipe that is totally kid-friendly. All you need are waffles, cheese and a skillet. Easy-Peasy!

Are you all ready for the tricky directions? (you might want to grab a pencil to jot these steps down.)

Place sliced Cheddar Cheese on a frozen waffle, then top with another frozen waffle. In a nonstick skillet, grill the waffle sandwich in butter until waffles are crispy and cheese is melted.

And you are done. ( Did I mention the words, easy-peasy??)

We sometimes add veggie bacon strips also (place bacon on the sandwich before grilling) for an extra yummy grilled cheese sandwich.

 Fruit, tomato soup, cut up veggies w/ ranch dip, and apple sauce all make easy kid-friendly healthy side dishes to go with the Grilled Cheese Waffle Sandwiches.

Do you have a favorite grilled cheese sandwich recipe?

These corn muffins are easy to make (especially when you use packaged corn muffin mix such as Jiffy,) but taste very yummy!

For about 12 muffins, you will need:

2 boxes corn muffin mix ( try Jiffy)
2 large eggs
About 1 cup shredded cheese (we like the sharp cheese here, but use which kind you like)
1 large Jalapeno, seeded
5-7 slices cooked bacon, crumbled (we use Morningside veggie bacon here...it is awesome in these muffins!)
1 cup low-fat sour cream -  nonfat yogurt works okay as well, or 1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line muffin pan with liners
Prepare muffin mix but do not add milk
Mix in bacon, jalapeno and sour cream (or yogurt)
Mix well
Divide batter into 12 muffin cups
Bake about 15-18 minutes (or until that handy toothpick comes out clean from the middle of a muffin!)

Snacks for Superbowl that are cheap, easy to make and even healthy for your party guests are the best snacks to make in my opinion. I hope to post a few tasty snack recipes that do not cost much to make, and are easy to whip up before the big football game day arrives!

First on the menu- 

White Bean Dip. Cannellini beans are full of protein, and we all know that olive oil and garlic are heart-healthy foods! Go light on the salt, if you use any - and try substituting/adding other spices such as oregano, basil, or parsley to the dip.

Ingredients: 

1 can (15 oz.) of white Canellini Beans, drained and rinsed

About 1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Oregano (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Serve with warm Pita bread, wheat crackers, or crusty Sourdough bread, toasted with olive oil.

Celebrate fall's arrival with a hearty low-fat low-cost vegetarian Chili recipe. Make this chili a day or two before you plan to serve it as the flavors will truly come out and taste delicious! Put cooked chili in covered container and refrigerate up to 2 days. Reheat and top with rice. Make a double batch and put some chili in the freezer for easy fast meals later.


What You'll Need:

1 15-1/2-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-ounce can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 14-1/2-ounce can low-sodium tomatoes, undrained and cut up
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
3/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon snipped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash ground red pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups hot cooked rice

To Make:

In a large saucepan combine kidney beans, great northern beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, green pepper, onion, chili powder, sugar, basil, cumin, salt, ground red pepper, and garlic. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Top each serving of chili with 1/2 cup hot cooked rice. Makes 4 servings.

Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare chili. Transfer to refrigerator container; cover and chill up to 2 days. Reheat and top with rice.

Recipe: Better Homes and Gardens

Save some money with a healthier snack you can make in a few minutes at home: Zucchini Chips. Cheaper than buying {unhealthy} potato chips and french fries, these chips will satisfy that 'I want a salty crunchy snack' urge and as an extra perk-you will get some veggies in your diet!

Baked Zucchini Chips 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Wash and dry zuchinni
Slice zuchinni into thin coin shaped slices
lay chips on a lightly oiled baking pan and brush with olive oil or spray with cooking oil (you can also toss the chips in a bowl with the oil)
sprinkle with a touch of salt
bake appx. 8-10 minutes, or until chips are brown and crispy, turning chips over about half-way through cooking.

Egg Batter Recipe for Zucchini Chips:

Mix together bread crumbs, Parmesean Cheese, garlic powder and pepper in bowl. In another bowl, combine about two egg whites with some low-fat milk. Coat the chips in the egg/milk mixture, then toss in the seasoning. Bake about 30 minutes, turning once.

Remember, the thinner the slices, the faster the chips will cook and turn crispy!

Some ideas for extra flavor-
soy sauce
parmesean cheese
garlic salt
chili powder
garlic powder
basil

For a dip....certainly not necessary, but as an option if you like.....try marinara sauce, ketchup or ranch dressing!

**Check Out: Things To Do With Empty Cans of Soup!**

A broccoli soup recipe that costs little to make but still tastes great!

Brocolli Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb. broccoli cut into small pieces

5 cups water

3 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup small pasta (such as ditalini)

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup ricotta cheese

Directions:

Combine broccoli, water and bouillon cubes in a pot

Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until broccoli is tender (about 30 minutes)

Stir in pasta, salt and pepper

Bring soup back to a boil, then turn heat back down to medium

Cook uncovered about 5-10 minutes (enough for pasta to be tender0

Remove from heat and stir in Ricotta Cheese,

Serves about 6.

When we try to save money, one of the areas that is always challenging is food. How do we eat healthy without spending too much money? When shopping on a budget, we have to make smart food choices....I always find myself asking what food is affordable, easy to use in recipes (and stretch!) and is healthy?

There are definitely good food choices and not so good when trying to watch our pennies. But some of the best foods we can eat for our health just happens to be some of the cheapest in the grocery stores-- 

1. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes have a high concentration of beta carotene, which has been shown to help every cell in the body stay healthy. And this vegetable is good for your skin as well: studies have shown it neutralizes wrinkle and sun spot-spurring damage from the sun and helps generate new, healthy glowing skin cells. Sweet potatoes are also full of fiber and B-vitamins (good for energy). So instead of rice or regular potatoes, try baking a sweet potato instead!

2. Dried Cranberries

Dried cranberries have very high amounts of antioxidants -- more than that of most fruit. Another benefit of cranberries is that this little fruit can help fight urinary tract infections. Dried cranberries are cheap, about .50 per cup, and are so easy to use in recipes. Toss them in salads, bake in muffins, add to cereal in the morning, or just eat them alone --makes a better snack than chips!

3. Pinto Beans

Pinto beans are both cheap and healthy! And these little beans can be stretched and incorporated into so many meals. Pinto beans contain protein, fiber, energizing B vitamins and heart-helping antioxidants. Actually, Pinto beans also have one of the highest antioxidant counts of all beans and cost the least, about 13 cents a cup.

4. Canned Salmon

Canned salmon is budget friendly and healthy! And it is much cheaper to buy salmon in cans than it is buying fresh salmon fillets. Fresh or canned, experts say a 4-ounce portion of salmon provides a day’s worth of omega-3 fatty acids, the beneficial fat that has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body and thereby reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer. Salmon also provides vitamin D, and other important minerals. 

Canned salmon can be used like a can of tuna-- use in salads and sandwiches. 

5. Mango

Mango is full of immune boosting vitamin C, vitamin A, and phenols and plant compounds that have potent antioxidant activity. A very healthy fruit that is easy on the budget! A delicious and healthy way to use mangoes is in a smoothie: just blend mango with a carton of yogurt, a handful of ice and a touch of honey. 

Source:  iVillage

Macaroni and Cheese is a classic money-saving meal that most of us have made many times over for our kids, but if you happen to have some left-overs around, you can jazz it up and make it a more special dish while still sticking to your grocery budget.

Try tossing in left over chopped chicken and cooked peas for a tasty dish. And if you sprinkle some crushed potato chips on top, it should become a very kid-happy meal as well!

Do your kids eat mac n' cheese? Do you have any tips for jazzing it up?

Take one large roasting chicken ( about 7lbs. or so) and make two delicious dinners!

Sunday night is always a good night for a more formal type chicken dinner, so here is a yummy one for you:

Tarragon Chicken With Roasted Vegetables


What you'll need~

3-5 potatoes, peeled and quartered
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
1 red onion, cut into wedges
2 cups cauliflower in small pieces (optional)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt to taste
1/4 tsp. pepper (or more to suit your taste)
roasting chicken (about 7lbs. or so)
salt and pepper to taste
tarragon (fresh is best--about 1 bunch)
lemon, quartered
8 cloves garlic, crushed

To Make~

Heat oven to 450 degrees
Line a baking sheet with foil
Toss all veggies with olive oil and mix till they are all covered
Place veggies on baking sheet, and bake about 45 min. stirring once or twice.

Rinse the chicken inside and out, season with salt and pepper

Place the tarragon, lemon and garlic inside the cavity of the chicken

Roast chicken in roasting pan, brush with olive oil

Roast in oven 10 minutes at 450 degrees; reduce temp. to 350 degrees and continue roasting chicken for an hour, 45 minutes or until thermometer (inserted into thickest part of chicken) reads 175 degrees F.
Remove lemon, tarragon and garlic. Cover chicken loosely with foil let sit for
about 20 minutes on platter.

While chicken sits, reheat veggies for 20 minutes at 300 degrees.

**Before serving, slice off as much chicken as needed for dinner. Add salad and rolls to complete the meal. Wrap the left over chicken and refrigerate.

Monday night dinner is likely to be more hectic, at least in our house--with sports, homework, etc. So a more casual easier dinner is always a good choice. Using the left-over chicken, pita bread or flatbread, and some marinara or pesto sauce, you can make a tasty meal in about 20 minutes!

Chicken Pesto Pizzas

Place the flatbreads or pita breads (one per serving) on baking sheet.

Spread the marinara or pesto sauce over the bread.

Top with left-over roasted chicken, some cherry tomatoes cut in half, and some mozzarella cheese

Spritz a little olive oil over the toppings, and bake at 450 degrees (preheat oven while preparing the ingredients) for about 8-10 minutes (till crusts are brown and cheese is melted)

Top with some baby arugla if desired, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

If you have kids, a cupcake or muffin pan, almost empty cereal boxes, almost empty raisin boxes, almost empty cracker boxes, (you get the idea, right?) then you have the makings for a fun kid's meal!

Just fill the muffin cups with the forlorn cereal left in the box, that last bit of cheese cut into cubes, the last few stray carrots cut up, that couple of tablespoons of salad dressing remaining in the bottle (dip for the carrots), that last piece of fruit that is about to spoil (cut it up and put in cups), and so on. Serve your muffin pan kid's meal to your favorite kid for a fun lunch or dinner, and you will have a cleaned out refrigerator and some smiles!

A big pot of this spicy vegetarian tortilla soup simmering on the stove is a wonderful thing! It always smells so good, tastes divine and best of all, is easy on the food budget! A delicious, easy and cheap recipe for Super Bowl Sunday-- double up on the recipe and freeze some for later!

(This easy on the budget Vegetarian Tortilla Soup comes from Bush's Beans and makes about 8 servings)

What You'll Need:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp cumin seed
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 29 ounce cans vegetable broth
2 16 ounce cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, packed
1 cup shredded low-fat Monterey Jack cheese
6 corn tortillas
cooking spray
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
lime wedges

How To Make:

Add olive oil, onion, garlic, jalapeno and cumin seed to a large pot over medium heat, stir constantly for 5 minutes. Add corn, chicken broth, BUSH'S BEST Kidney Beans and cilantro. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat cookie sheet with cooking spray, place tortillas on sheet and spray tortillas with cooking spray. Cook approximately 10 minutes. Cut tortillas into strips.
Top soup with cheese, tortilla strips and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with lime.

Add some crusty Sourdough Bread,  French Rolls, or Saltine Crackers to make a warm delicious and satisfying meal.

Nothing says holidays quite like the aroma of some scrumptious desserts baking! Real Simple has a recipe for Banana Nut Bread that sounds delicious and easy on the budget, so I thought I'd 'borrow' it and share it here!

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 package Jell-O Instant Banana Cream Pudding & Pie Filling
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350° F.
2. Mix all the ingredients well. Pour into 2 large or 4 small greased loaf pans.
3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. (For those allergic to nuts, this recipe can be made without the pecans.)

Are you cooking a holiday meal this year and need some quick, cheap delicious side dish recipes? Here are two easy to prepare dishes that you can make without needing a lot of time or money (in fact, you can save even more time using ready-cooked potatoes in the Sweet Potatoes Recipe!)

 Maple Sweet Potatoes (from TV chef, Sandra Lee)

1 can (29.oz.) cut sweet potatoes, drained (this will be enough for 4 servings)
2 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup toasted pecan pieces

Microwave the potatoes, drained, in a micro-wave safe bowl until hot (try cooking for 2 minutes at a time until potatoes are hot)

Drain any liquid in bowl. Add butter, spice, salt, pepper and maple syrup. Mash with fork and stir in pecan pieces, if desired.

And remember, sweet potatoes are a healthy choice as well as inexpensive, because they are full of antioxidants!!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce (from Top Chef's Tom Colicchio)

Bring 1 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup sugar to a boil in saucepan. Stir in 12-oz bag of fresh cranberries. Continue cooking over medium heat until cranberries burst.

Cool and enjoy!

This is a favorite kid's meal at my house, and it is so easy and inexpensive to make I love it too! You can make waffle pizzas with frozen waffles or homemade waffles, some tomato slices, cheese and olives.

Just cook the waffle as you would normally, then line a broiler rack with foil.

Next, arrange the waffles on the foil and add sliced tomato, some mozzarella cheese and black olives, sliced. Sprikle lightly with seasonings such as basil, oregano and pepper.

Cook the waffle pizzas under the broiler for about 3 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve and enjoy the smiles you get!

Homemade Waffle Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, separated
1 1/4 cups milk
2 Tbs. melted butter

Preheat waffle iron.
Combine flour, baking soda, salt in bowl.
Make a well in center and add the egg yolk and milk
Mix ingredients, then stir in butter
Finally, whisk egg white in a separate bowl, then add to flour mixture

Pour into waffle iron and cook for about 3 minutes with lid closed until waffles are light brown.

Makes about 12 waffles.

Make your own Iced Mocha drink at home and save money plus calories!

All you need for two icy mocha drinks:

1 cup low-fat chocolate milk
1 tsp. instant coffee granules
1 cup ice cubes
Fat -Free whipped topping

In a blender, add the milk, coffee granules and ice cubes. Blend on high until smooth and frothy. Pour into two glasses, add the low fat whipped topping, and Enjoy!

This is a satisfying meal that is pretty easy to prepare and is also easy on the food budget!

Zucchini Frittata

Preheat oven to 40 degrees. Combine 8 eggs with a 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper and beat until well mixed. Stir in 3/4 shredded mozzarella cheese.

Heat 2 Tbs. oil in large pan over medium heat. Add 1 lb. zucchini quartered and cut crosswise into 3/4" slices, half an onion, chopped, a clove of minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning, and 1/4 tsp. salt.

Cook while stirring frequently until golden brown and tender --about 6-7 minutes.

Stir in the egg mixture and cook until edges are set, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Add slice tomatoes to top of frittata and then put skillet in preheated oven for about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle some shredded mozarella on top, then bake another 5 minutes, or until center is set.

Serves about 4 people--slice into wedges and enjoy with a tossed salad and some crusty French bread!