Profile

whats4dinnermom

I am a mother of two kids who loves to cook and bake. I reside in the greater Phoenix area. I am a frugal cook by nature and I feel planning is key to feeding your family on a budget.

  • Website
  • Location: Phoenix, Arizona
  • Favorite foods: Any southern cooking, southwest food with a kick, home made cookies, haven't met a food I didn't like :)
  • Last bite on earth: My grandma's homemade pineapple cookies!

What's Your Favorite Cookbook?

Probably my all time favorite is Southern Living 2001 edition. I still use so many of the recipes from that book in my every day cooking.

Cabbage recipe to feed 15?

One of my favorite cabbage recipes is cooked all day in the crockpot.

1 head of cabbage, cut into chunks
2 lbs smoked sausage, sliced
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cans chicken broth
1 can water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Hot sauce (optional)

Arrange potatoes on bottom of crockpot, layer cabbage and then sausage. Add remaining ingredients and cook on medium setting for 5 to 6 hours. Try serving with cornbread.

Catfish Anyone-Need Recipe Ideas

Fried catfish in cornmeal is my favorite. Served with a pot of spaghetti to round out the meal.

Your favorite cookie that's NOT chocolate chip?

Oh so difficult to choose a favorite. Love everything stated here oatmeal raisin spice, mollasses, and peanut butter. My all time favorite is pineapple cookies! Soft and chewy with a cake like texture.

affordable food

Here are two of my favorite "Cheap" dinners. Less than 5 ingredients each. They are super simple but I find that they taste better than anything from a box.

Basic Goulash

1 lb ground beef ( buy a 80/20 or 73/27 blend and drain any excessive grease to save money)
2 cups small shell pasta
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder

Brown ground beef, drain excessive grease. Cook pasta according ot package directions, drain. Combine cooked pasta, ground beef and tomato sauce and onion powder. Heat through. Makes excellent left overs!


Stove top tuna casserole

1 can tuna, drained
2 cups penne pasta
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp worchestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas (optional)

Cook pasta according to package directions. If you choose to add peas, save time by adding them to the pasta during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Drain water. Combine pasta, tuna, soup, milk, worchestershire sauce and cook over medium low heat. Season with salt/pepper to taste.

Which recipes are regulars at your house...

We often have BBQ pulled pork, chicken enchiladas, tostadas, chicken w/rice, sausage, potatoes and cabbage. Those are some of my children's favorite meals.

Sentimental Easter Requests

I thought of my grandma today while picking up last minute candy for my kids easter baskets. My grandma had a wonderful sense of humor. She used to keep spiced jelly beans in her candy dishes every year around Easter. She knew how much I disliked the spiced flavor and every year when I asked if they were spiced jelly beans, she would respond nope regular jelly beans....just to watch me eat one and be horrified at the taste. Today while at the store, I almost picked up a bag of spiced jelly beans to buy! Miss you grandma.

How to really clean stainless steel?

Try sprinkling with baking soda and pouring a little white vinegar over it. It should remove all stains/residue. Somthing about these two together works magic. Works great on stainless steel sinks too!

West Bend Crock Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe

I am trying to locate a recipe that I once had from a recipe booklet that came with a West Bend Crock Pot that I received as a wedding gift 15 years ago. The crockpot is the oblong rectangular shape with the skillet on the bottom. The recipe booklet that came with the crock pot contained a recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken that called for onion soup mix, french dressing and pineapple chunks. That is all that I remember.
I have checked the Lipton website and google and no luck. If anyone has the recipe, would you please share. Thanks!!

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