Made With Love Week - A Week of Homemade Goodies and Printables

Some things have changed around here and once I figure out how to direct this site to my new one I will.  I am not extremely computer savvy but I have a fantastically patient neighbor who is helping me!

 Red Velvet Cake Batter Bark and Kid's Can Cook Toosday - Sweet, Savory, and Tart Popcorn

MADE WITH LOVE WEEK

is going on over at Budget Gourmet Mom (the new home of KD's DD) 

and the wife of said patient neighbor is sharing some of her talent

 with printable Valentine designs! Check her out at Stay at Home Artist.  

Check it out and follow me on facebook to stay in the loop!

It's Moving Day!

Although I am not as prepared as I would like to be...it's moving day here!  We are getting a whole new name, look, and location!  You can understand why I am not as prepared as I would like to be!  It's been a bit more work than I thought it would be but totally worth it!

You can find my new feed at 

Budget Gourmet Mom

Shepherd's Pie - Comfort Food for a Blistery Day

It's the middle of winter right now in Utah and with the nights dark and cold a warm, comforting meal is just the ticket! One of my favorite budget-friendly comfort meals is Shepherds Pie. I load it with vegetables, meat, and a creamy gravy and top with some roughly mashed potatoes. The smells emanating from the oven are sure to warm any hungry soul!

What you will need:

1 lb lean ground beef or turkey
4 medium carrots, sliced in rounds
2 large celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tblsp butter
1 tsp thyme
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 tblsp tomato paste
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper

5 medium red potatoes, chopped
2 tblsp butter
Salt and pepper

Start by chopping all the vegetables if you haven't done so already. Bring the potatoes to a boil in a medium pot. While the potatoes are boiling melt 2 tblsp of butter in a skillet or large pan. Sauté the carrots, onions, and celery for 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and continue to cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Add soup, tomato paste, water, thyme, and salt and pepper. Keep warm in the skillet.

Once the potatoes are fork tender drain, reserving some of the water. Roughly mash with 2 tblsp butter, reserved water, and salt and pepper; gradually add the water until the potatoes are the texture of your liking. I decided to go with a slightly chunky mash.

Transfer the meat and vegetable mixture into a baking dish. Spread the potatoes over the meat. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with biscuits.

(The lighting is a bit off...I'm still playing with it when I am taking pics at night.

 Any suggestions!?)

I am quite lucky in that my family raises cows so I have access to extremely lean ground beef. As a result I don't usually need to drain off any fat. If you are worried about extra fat from the meat you can certainly drain it off but you'll probably lose a bit of the butter with it. Wouldn't that be tragic...Paula Deen would be chagrined for sure!


Freezer tip: Since this recipe only uses 1 tbsp of tomato paste you will have some leftover. Freeze what is left in an ice cube tray. Each square is about a tablespoon so you can pull one out the next time you need it and you won't have a can of tomato paste sitting in your fridge getting in the way or getting pushed to the back where you find it later having forgotten all about it. Trust me...I speak from experience.

PBJ Smoothie - A (more) healthy start to my day

With the holidays over and a new year beginning I find myself contemplating all the events that occurred these past 12 months. It's been a tough but blessed year. We tried to sell our home without success, added a new member to the family, I recovered am recovering from a c-section, fixed flat tires, fixed broken computers, fixed broken heads (I have 4 boys), and the list goes on. Although I like people to think there is always bread baking in the oven, a sparkling clean house for my husband to come home, and our children bathed, dressed and lined up to greet him when he gets home we are far from that picture perfect image.

This year I truly hope to allow my faults to show including any less than par dish, to ask for help when I need it (which is more often than not), and, of course, spend time in the kitchen exploring new recipes.

My next recipe wasn't so much an exploration but a cleansing, healthified start.  After such a crazy December during which, I hate to admit, I hit the $1 menu at McDonald's more than once my body needs a serious de-junking! Fruits and veggies are the cure!

This morning I whipped up this super simple and fast smoothie. It has 2 servings of fruit, protein, and the ability of giving a starved mom a breakfast.

You'll need...

Half a banana
A handful of frozen strawberries
1 tblsp creamy peanut butter
A splash of milk (I used about 1/2 cup)

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until it's incorporated adding milk as needed. Pour into a glass, grab your keys, and go!!! As for me, I'm going to sit down to rock my 5 month old to sleep while my other boys sit quietly eating their breakfast run amuck.

Poinsettia Mocktail, a perfect start to the New Year!

I've said it before and I'll say it again, just because you are on a budget doesn't mean you can't live a little!  Whether you are celebrating the New Year with a group of people or an intimate dinner for two this festive and fresh drink will add a bit of class to any gathering.


Each drink consists of:

1 1/2 oz orange juice
1 oz cranberry juice
approx. 3/4 cup ginger ale

Make sure all the juices and ginger ale are chilled before you mix.  You can mix each drink separately or in a pitcher as I have done (just multiply the recipe by 4, 5, 6...).  Garnish with some orange rings or wedges and wait for midnight!

Warm Wishes and a very Happy New Year!

Festive Pomegranate, Orange, and Pear Salad

I don't know about you but it is particularly difficult to stay on budget around the holidays without A LOT of planning.  There are gifts to buy, wrap, and ship not to mention to the food to bake, make and take!  It's hard not to get "wrapped" up in the hustle and bustle.

As a result of the extra strain on our wallets and time it's easy to get overwhelmed but I have found the best way to stay on budget is shop fresh, seasonal produce.  This is not only a great trick for the holidays but any time of the year.  It also introduces your family to other fruits and vegetables they may not have eaten.  

Pomegranate is definitely one of those fruits!  If you have never tried one you need to.  I grew up with a pomegranate tree in my backyard until my parents re-landscaped so I have some fun memories of my sister and I picking at the fruit and sucking on the seeds then breaking all the lady-like laws and spitting them.  Definitely fun times!

Pomegranates are in season right now along with Clementine's, another favorite of mine, so I tossed them into a salad along with thinly sliced pears and a mild oil and vinegar dressing.  It is a fun and festive dish to bring to the table or to a party.  The colors alone seem to invite your tongue to taste!

This salad only cost me around $2.50 to prepare and it makes around 6 cups.  I didn't actually measure so it may be a bit more since my history has proven that I am terrible at estimating amounts...

I chopped up 3 hearts of romaine (6 pack is around $2.00 at Sam's Club)
I peeled 3 Clementine's (use the $1/1 coupon found in the 12/5 Smart Source insert in your newspaper)
Cut the pomegranate and pick out the seeds in the middle, I used only half ($1.50 at WalMart)
Thinly slice a medium to ripe pear, again, I used only half ($.68 a lb. at WalMart)

Prices will vary so please don't hold me accountable! I am simply approximating how much it would cost to make!

Then I made the dressing which, unfortunately, I don't have the cost of because I always have oil and vinegar on hand but it was pennies, I'm sure.
Toss everything together but be sure to reserve some fruit to toss on top for show.

You have a very simple, flavorful and festive salad!  Oh, and did I mention healthy as well!  Hmmm, now maybe I can splurge on a second...ok, third cinnamon roll!

Happy Holidays and Warm Wishes (as I dig out of 2 feet of snow)!

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

I must have been crazy...or subconsciously trying to forget my ever growing age, but yesterday was my birthday which is the reason for not posting the winner.  However, we have a winner today!!!!!!

(I tried to post the Random.org pic here but must have done it wrong.  Sorry for my inexperience but I promise it chose number 3...I'll be playing with that site a bit more to figure that out.  It is probably much easier than I am making it!)

Anne...You are our winner!  Send me an email with the address where you would like the cookies sent and I will send them your way!  Keep checking back for periodic giveaways and budget-friendly recipes.