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AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES Brown Rice Pilaf works well as a side dish, however it can also be a meal all by itself. It's healthy, it's delicious and it is so inexpensive! I've taken a simple box of store bought rice and elevated it into a wonderful side dish. Brown Rice Pilaf has carrots and peas and instead of the sodium laden flavor packet I've used chicken broth and my own dry spices. If you want a vegetarian side dish or meal, simply substitute vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth. A while back I wasn't feeling well and a good friend brought me a goodie basket and the Near East rice was included among the other sweet things she had in the basket. I've been wanting to try the rice but I didn't want all the sodium. The packet is loaded with sodium - so my advice is get rid of that packet and make this simple recipe! I found a nifty and handy product while shopping at my super Walmart grocery store. Delmonte has fully c...

Creamy Sausage and Pasta ~ the sauce makes the dish! The sauce truly pulls this Creamy Pasta and Sausage dish altogether and it tastes better than it looks. I adore the combination of ingredients that combine to make a superb tasting sauce. If you are looking for a new pasta dish that the whole family will love, this is it! Read more »

Strawberry Jalapeno Grilled Chicken   ~ kicked up flavors from the strawberry jalapeno fruit spread makes this a winning grilling recipe! After doing a sponsored post for Brie and Strawberry Jalapeno Crispbreads Snacks I had some of the fruit spread left. With some garden vegetables available and a package of on sale chicken I began formulating this idea for Strawberry Jalapeno Grilled Chicken . With the high heat and humidity that we've been experiencing, this seemed like the perfect summer time meal. Served with some rice it's a completely wholesome and inexpensive meal. Read more »

Golden Eagle Corn Pancakes ~ not too sweet and a little bit corny. My Foodies has another contest going on during August for Golden Eagle Syrup. When the syrup arrived and I checked out the ingredients listed in the syrup I could not help but think about pancakes. So I scoured cookbooks and the internet and adapted a grilled corn cake recipe from Robin Miller of the Food Network. Adding the Golden Eagle syrup in place of the white sugar gave these pancakes a slight hint of sweetness without overpowering the taste of the cornmeal. Read more »

Easy and fast weeknight combination that you and your family will thoroughly enjoy. When I was out there like you working full time with youngsters getting a good meal on the dinner table was really important to me. Yes we occasionally went for a pizza, but in general I've always wanted a well rounded dinner for the family. Now with the kids all grown and out of the nest, I still want to make my husband and myself a decent dinner. So if you are like me you are going to love this simple supper. It's not fancy, it's not expensive and it fits right in here with Cooking On A Budget. Read more »

A classic American-Italian style dish with a bit of a twist, Penne a la Vodka with Peppers is hearty and oh so delicious! The classic version of Penne a la Vodka has heavy cream but I've left it out of this recipe. I am trying to loose some weight before my son's wedding so it's imperative I trim wherever I can when cooking. It actually tastes really great without it so I did not miss it at all. If you are worried about feeding kids, there's very little vodka in the recipe and the alcohol gets reduced down. Read more »

The corned beef is slow roasted to perfection and the sauerkraut adds a nice tang to the dish. Corned beef happened to be on sale a few weeks ago so I picked up a small one for my husband and I. I did a little research and decided that I would try oven roasting it versus my normal crock pot method of cooking. This was done on a wing and a prayer ~ hoping like all get out that it would turn out good. And the aroma that filled my entire house indicated that it just might be super delicious. Read more »

Inspired by Tolkien's "The Trilogy" comes a dish from a dear and long time friend Kathy. It seems like only yesterday we were winding our way through the shire hanging out with Bilbo and Frodo Baggins taking a three book journey through Middle Earth. Spell bound by every page we read, Kathy and I could not wait for our next tea session to discuss the happenings, taking care that neither of us spoiled it for the other. You see Kathy had actually already read the book and me, well as usual I was one step behind and she decided to re-read it while I was reading it for the very first time. I was so excited to read it that I went to our nearest local bookstore and purchased a beautiful hard copy set that I just passed along to my youngest son. Read more »

Moist, tender Turkey Meat Loaf  triggers the smells and feelings of Thanksgiving ~ in a lot less time than it takes to put together a Thanksgiving meal. Meat loaf is one of those things that I have to be honest about. I've not mastered a great meat loaf. I made a version of my mother's and I thought it was okay, but the family didn't like it. As soon as they spotted me adding sour cream to it they already had formed their opinion. I tried again about four weeks ago using beef and attempting to make it like my employee did at my to go food restaurant using a bottled barbecue sauce. That was an epic fail and I tossed it out. I didn't think I would ever again attempt meatloaf until I found this Williams-Sonoma recipe for turkey meat loaf. Read more »

A simple creamy sauce paired with some roasted chicken and bow tie pasta and we had a filling and delicious weeknight meal. What an amazingly simple make over meal this is! Left over roasted chicken with pasta and a delicious yet light cream sauce and a touch of fresh herb for color and flavor made this a delightful and super easy weeknight dinner. Read more »

Sweet and Sour Sauce is the beginning of something good! These ribs are the end result after making my Sweet and Sour Sauce which was just published. We loved straying from traditional rubbed and or barbecue sauced ribs. Cooking them in a low oven with a bit of liquid and wrapped in foil made these ribs tender and juicy, yet there was still a little give to the meat. Some folks in the barbecue world insist on falling off the bone meat, while the others consider tender yet with a give. It's actually all up to you which way you prefer your ribs. Read more »

Savory and succulent, this is one of the most flavorful chicken dishes I have ever eaten ~ seriously, the best! I have had Chicken Marsala in restaurants and made it at home many times using boneless, skinless thin chicken cutlets. While I have enjoyed it that way for years I think this version is undoubtedly the most flavorful and I plan on making this my go to chicken Marsala recipe from here on out because it is that good. In fact I have another package of chicken thighs in the freezer and can't wait until I make it again. Read more »

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. # YesYouCAN #CollectiveBias The Mexican Nacho Dip is over the top delicious and the same ingredients make an incredible burrito. Make your holidays easy, delicious and stress free with these entertaining recipes! With the holidays coming into full swing we often wonder how we'll have time to manage everything. The decorating, the shopping, wrapping, and daily and social obligations. Christmas and New Year's is all about quality time with family and friends. And at the center of every gathering and celebrations is food. Read more »

Thanks to the wonderful sauce, this General Tsao Chicken and Vegetables was absolutely delicious! The sauce makes the dish. While I don't generally advocate jar sauces, this House of Tsang General Tsao Stir-Fry Sauce is really good. It should be readily available in the international aisle of your grocery store and I know that it is available too at Target and Walmart stores which are all over the country. The sauce is a combination of spicy ginger, with bright citrus flavors and teriyaki sauce. We really were impressed with the overall flavor of this dinner and I believe you are going to love it also. Read more »

Plan ahead, shop smart and save money while enjoying easy weeknight suppers like this Weeknight Stir-Fry Rice and Vegetables. The holidays are hectic enough and all too often we rely on take-out food (which can be very costly), fast food restaurants (where the food is outrageously high in calories) or frozen food (which is very high in sodium). It doesn't have to be that way. With a little planning before you grocery shop on the weekend you can enjoy quick and easy meals during the week ~ no matter what is going on. Read more »

An absolutely lovely dinner that is neither complicated or complex. Simple ingredients combined to make a delicious main course meal for family or guests. I was at my niece's baby shower last weekend and the luncheon I chose was Chicken Piccata. It was delicious and I knew right then and there I would be making it at home. I looked up various recipes and ended up tweaking a Martha Stewart recipe to fit our tastes. It is not too far off, but it combines the flavors I tasted in the dish last Saturday and the common ingredients found in every chicken piccata recipe. Hope you will like it too and give it a go. Read more »

From Roasted Cranberry Sauce to Dressed Up Dinner Rolls, I present 12 Amazing Thanksgiving Sides. When you ask your blogging friends to submit some recipes for a round up they deliver. Here are 12 Amazing Thanksgiving Sides, three from yours truly. I really hope you find these recipes worthy of your Thanksgiving Feast. I personally can't wait to give some of them a try! Read more »

My favorite fish, cod gets encased in buttery puff pastry for a nice date night celebration at home. For those of you who are not familiar with the term "en croute" - it means "in a pastry crust". With our modern day frozen foods this dish becomes incredibly easy to prepare. All you need is some help from Pepperidge Farm by using their pre-made frozen puff pastry. Read more »

Using a spicy panko breading, these Easy Weeknight Chicken Tenders are on the table in 30 minutes. I am so impressed with the flavor of this panko breading mix. In fact I use the same one in my recipe for Shake and Bakish Pork . It has everyday spices you'll certainly have in your pantry and when mixed with the panko crumbs gives you a delicious and crunchy coated chicken. Read more »

Fresh green beans, caramelized onions and a deliciously light sauce blend together for one fantastic and more modern green bean casserole. I took an existing recipe and gave it a make-over. Ultimately it's lighter because I did away with the heavy cream and some of the butter. The flavor however has not been compromised, this green bean casserole is scrumptious. The other plus is the ease of it and that it's all homemade. No canned stuffed here! Read more »